Automated process for detecting the presence of a target nucleic acid in a sample

1. A process for detecting the presence of a target nucleic acid in a sample containing the target nucleic acid, the process comprising performing the automated steps of:

(a) immobilizing the target nucleic acid on a solid support comprising a magnetically-responsive particle;

(b) subjecting the solid support to a magnetic field and aspirating non-immobilized components of the sample;

(c) performing an amplification reaction using the target nucleic acid immobilized in step (a) to produce an amplification product indicative of the presence of the target nucleic acid in the sample; and

(d) detecting the amplification product of step (c) as an indication of the presence of the target nucleic acid in the sample,

wherein the steps of the process are performed in a self-contained analyzer.

2. The process of claim 1 further comprising washing the solid support one or more times with a wash solution after aspirating the the non-immobilized components of the sample during step (b).

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-immobilized components of the sample include non-target nucleic acid.

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising the step of hybridizing a capture probe to the target nucleic acid prior to step (a).

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the amplification product is a nucleic acid sequence that is the same as or complementary to a sequence of the target nucleic acid.

6. The process of claim 5 further comprising contacting the amplification product with a probe that hybridizes to the amplification product, wherein the amplification product is detected in step (d) by detecting the probe hybridized to the amplification product.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the probe includes a detectable label.

8. The process of claim 5 , wherein the amplification reaction is selected from the group consisting of a polymerase chain reaction, a strand displacement amplification, a ligase chain reaction, and a transcription-associated amplification.

9. A process for detecting the presence of a target nucleic acid in a sample containing the target nucleic acid, the process comprising performing the automated steps of:

(a) immobilizing the target nucleic acid on a solid support comprising a magnetically-responsive particle;

(b) subjecting the solid support to a magnetic field and aspirating non-immobilized components of the sample;

(c) moving the target nucleic acid immobilized in step (a) into a temperature-controlled chamber of an incubator housed within a self contained analyzer;

(d) in the chamber, performing an amplification reaction to produce an amplification product indicative of the presence of the target nucleic acid in the sample; and

(e) detecting the amplification product of step (d) as an indication of the presence of the target nucleic acid in the sample,

wherein the steps of the process are performed in the self-contained analyzer.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the non-immobilized components of the sample include non-target nucleic acid.

11. The process of claim 9 , wherein the amplification product is a nucleic acid sequence that is the same as or complementary to a sequence of the target nucleic acid.

12. The process of claim 11 further comprising contacting the amplification product with a probe that hybridizes to the amplification product, wherein the amplification product is detected in step (e) by detecting the probe hybridized to the amplification product.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the probe includes a detectable label.

14. The process of claim 11 , wherein the amplification reaction is selected from the group consisting of a polymerase chain reaction, a strand displacement amplification, a ligase chain reaction, and a transcription-associated amplification.

15. The process of claim 9 , wherein steps (a) and (d) are performed at separate stations within a housing of the analyzer.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the stations are located on a processing deck.