Device and method for extraction and analysis of nucleic acids from biological samples

1. A method for quantifying and amplifying the amount of nucleic acids in a sample, comprising:

(a) contacting nucleic acids from a sample with a nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture comprising a first fluorescent compound having a first fluorescence emission maximum, a second fluorescent compound having a second fluorescence emission maximum, and a third fluorescent compound having a third fluorescence emission maximum and a fluorescence intensity dependent on the concentration of amplified nucleic acids, wherein the first, second, and third fluorescence emission maxima are different, each having a fluorescence intensity dependent on the concentration of nucleic acids;

(b) measuring the fluorescence of the first fluorescent compound to determine the amount of nucleic acids;

(c) treating the nucleic acids and the nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture under conditions for amplifying the nucleic acids to provide amplified nucleic acids; and

(d) measuring the fluorescence of the first fluorescent compound to determine the amount of amplified nucleic acids.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fluorescent compound is a minor groove binder or an intercalating agent.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising measuring the fluorescence of the second fluorescent compound to determine the presence of a gene or gene product.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second fluorescent compound is an oligonucleotide probe.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising measuring the fluorescence of the third fluorescent compound to determine the presence of a gene or gene product.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the third fluorescent compound is an oligonucleotide probe.

7. A method for quantifying and amplifying the amount of nucleic acids in a sample, comprising:

(a) contacting nucleic acids from a sample with a first fluorescent compound having a first fluorescence emission maximum and a fluorescence intensity dependent on the concentration of nucleic acids;

(b) measuring the fluorescence of the first fluorescent compound to determine the amount of nucleic acids;

(c) treating the nucleic acids with a nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture under conditions for amplifying the nucleic acids to provide amplified nucleic acids, wherein the nucleic acid amplification reaction mixture comprises a second fluorescent compound having a second fluorescence emission maximum and a fluorescence intensity dependent on the concentration of nucleic acids, and a third fluorescent compound having a third fluorescence emission maximum and a fluorescence intensity dependent on the concentration of nucleic acids, wherein the first, second, and third fluorescence emission maxima are different; and

(d) measuring the fluorescence of the second fluorescent compound to determine the presence of a gene or gene product.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising measuring the fluorescence of the first fluorescent compound to determine the amount of amplified nucleic acids.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first fluorescent compound is a minor groove binder or an intercalating agent.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second fluorescent compound is an oligonucleotide probe.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the third fluorescent compound is an oligonucleotide probe.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising measuring the fluorescence of the third fluorescent compound to determine the presence of a gene or gene product.