US Patent 10894976 Compositions, methods, and kits for isolating nucleic acids

Disclosed here is a composition for isolating nucleic acids from a biological sample, comprising a chaotropic compound and a solvent, wherein the solvent comprises a nitrile compound, tetrahydrofuran, or a combination thereof. Also disclosed is a method for binding nucleic acids to a matrix, comprising: contacting the nucleic acids from a biological sample with the matrix in the presence of a chaotropic compound and a solvent, wherein the solvent comprises a nitrile compound, tetrahydrofuran, or a combination thereof, thereby binding the nucleic acids to the matrix. Further disclosed is a kit for isolating nucleic acids from a biological sample comprising a binding buffer, wherein the binding buffer comprises a chaotropic compound and a solvent, wherein the solvent comprises a nitrile compound, tetrahydrofuran, or a combination thereof.