Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating & Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Kits (Mini, Midi, Maxi): Scalable High-Yield Extraction from Diverse Sample Volumes
The Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating & Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Kits provide an advanced, fully scalable solution for isolating high-quality cell-free circulating DNA (cfc-DNA), circulating and exosomal RNA, and viral DNA/RNA from diverse clinical volumes of fresh or frozen serum or plasma. In liquid biopsy workflows and molecular diagnostics, extracting intact, inhibitor-free nucleic acids from highly variable sample volumes presents a significant technical bottleneck due to low physiological concentrations and blood-derived contaminants. Available in Mini, Midi, and Maxi formats, these kits seamlessly scale to accommodate inputs ranging from 50 µL to 5 mL without requiring sample dilution, enabling researchers and clinicians to maximise biomarker recovery from scarce or high-volume liquid specimens.
Purification is accomplished via column chromatography utilising a proprietary silicon carbide resin separation matrix. Unlike traditional silica-based membranes that suffer from binding biases based on molecule size or GC content, this specialised matrix guarantees unbiased, comprehensive capture of all nucleic acid fragments, including small microRNA (miRNA) and fragmented cell-free DNA down to 50 bp, alongside larger viral genomes. The streamlined workflow lyses samples and binds target molecules efficiently without requiring hazardous phenol-chloroform extractions or artificial carrier RNA, yielding highly concentrated elutions that provide exceptional analytical sensitivity in sensitive downstream assays.
Key Benefits:
- Comprehensive Analyte Recovery: Simultaneous purification of DNA and RNA. Captures all sizes of cell-free circulating DNA (≥ 50 bp), circulating RNA, exosomal RNA (including microRNA), and viral nucleic acids within a single elution step.
- Fully Scalable Volume Options: Adaptable input configurations. Available in Mini (50 µL to 200 µL), Midi (250 µL to 1.5 mL), and Maxi (2 mL to 5 mL) column formats to seamlessly match specific sample volume restrictions without compromising extraction performance.
- Inhibitor-Free Purified Material: Complete elimination of downstream interference. Effectively removes cellular debris, proteins, lipid components, and blood-derived PCR inhibitors, rendering eluates directly compatible with enzymatic applications.
- Carrier RNA-Free Elution: Pure target isolation. Eliminates the requirement for carrier RNA, ensuring that downstream next-generation sequencing (NGS) and microarray data remain completely uncontaminated by non-specific backgrounds.
- Streamlined, Phenol-Free Protocols: Rapid and safe workflows. Utilises convenient spin column or vacuum-assisted chromatography, completely removing the need for hazardous organic extractions or tedious alcohol precipitations.
Technical Insights
Validation studies confirm exceptional recovery efficiency and absolute linearity across the entire volume processing range of the Mini, Midi, and Maxi configurations. By utilising the proprietary silicon carbide resin matrix, these kits achieve proportional yields of circulating biomarkers as input volumes increase from 50 µL up to 5 mL. In downstream RT-qPCR and qPCR evaluations of target biomarkers—including human 5S rRNA and miR-21—cycle threshold (Ct) values decrease in perfect linearity with increasing sample input volume. This rigorous verification confirms the complete removal of co-purified blood-derived inhibitors, preventing template interference and ensuring exceptional analytical sensitivity even when increasing template volumes in highly sensitive enzymatic master mixes.
▼ View Validation Data & Figures (1-18)
Figure 1. Purification of cell-free circulating DNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300) was used to purify circulating DNA from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the relative amount of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene. The Ct values for the 5S rRNA gene is linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 2. Linearity of DNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300) was used to purify circulating NA from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit was able to recover ninety-four percent of the 5S rRNA gene from 100 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 50 µL plasma. Moreover, 98% of the 5S rRNA gene was recovered from 200 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 100 µL plasma.
Figure 3. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma cell-free circulating DNA samples when detecting the human 5S gene.
DNA was isolated from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 µL) were used in a 20 µL qPCR reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in elution volume used as a template in the qPCR did not affect the Ct value generated from qPCR, and in fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that DNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Figure 4. Purification of cell-free circulating RNA and exosomal RNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300) was used to purify cell-free circulating and exosomal RNA from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant in comparison. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the amplification of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. The average Ct value for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 is linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 5. Linearity of RNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300) was used to purify RNA from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit was able to recover 91% of the 5S rRNA transcript and 95% of miR-21 from 100 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 50 µL plasma. Moreover, 90% of the 5S rRNA transcript and 92% of the miR-21 was recovered from 200 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 100 µL plasma.
Figure 6. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma RNA samples when detecting the human 5S transcript and miR-21.
RNA was isolated from 50 µL, 100 µL and 200 µL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit (Cat# 56300). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 µL) were used in a 20 µL reverse transcription reaction followed by qPCR amplification reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in the PCR input volume used as a template in the reverse transcription reaction did not affect the Ct value generated from the qPCR amplification for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. In fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that RNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Figure 7. Purification of cell-free circulating DNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400) was used to purify circulating DNA from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the relative amount of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene. The Ct values for the 5S rRNA gene are linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 8. Linearity of DNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400) was used to purify circulating NA from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit was able to recover 98% of the 5S rRNA gene from 750 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 250 µL plasma. Moreover, 93% of the 5S rRNA gene was recovered from 1.5 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 750 µL plasma.
Figure 9. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma cell-free circulating DNA samples when detecting the human 5S gene.
DNA was isolated from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 µL) were used in a 20 µL qPCR reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in elution volume used as a template in the qPCR did not affect the Ct value generated from qPCR, and in fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that DNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Figure 10. Purification of cell-free circulating RNA and exosomal RNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400) was used to purify cell-free circulating and exosomal RNA from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant in comparison. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the amplification of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. The average Ct value for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 is linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 11. Linearity of RNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400) was used to purify RNA from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit was able to recover 97% of both the 5S rRNA transcript and miR-21 from 750 µL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 250 µL plasma. Moreover, ninety-four percent of the 5S rRNA transcript and 97% of the miR-21 was recovered from 1.5 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 750 µL plasma.
Figure 12. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma RNA samples when detecting the human 5S transcript and mir-21.
RNA was isolated from 250 µL, 750 µL and 1.5 mL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit (Cat# 56400). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 µL) were used in a 20 µL reverse transcription reaction followed by qPCR amplification reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in the PCR input volume used as a template in the reverse transcription reaction did not affect the Ct value generated from the qPCR amplification for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. In fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that RNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Figure 13. Purification of cell-free circulating DNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500) was used to purify circulating DNA from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the relative amount of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene. The Ct. values for the 5S rRNA gene is linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 14. Linearity of DNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500) was used to purify circulating NA from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified NA was then used as the template in qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified the housekeeping 5S rRNA gene from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit was able to recover 98% of the 5S rRNA gene from 3 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 2 mL plasma. Moreover, 93% of the 5S rRNA gene was recovered from 5 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 3 mL plasma.
Figure 15. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma cell-free circulating DNA samples when detecting the human 5S gene.
DNA was isolated from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 µL) were used in a 20 µL qPCR reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in elution volume used as a template in the qPCR did not affect the Ct value generated from qPCR, and in fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that DNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Figure 16. Purification of cell-free circulating RNA and exosomal RNA from different plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500) was used to purify cell-free circulating and exosomal RNA from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant in comparison. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the amplification of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. The average Ct value for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 is linearly decreasing with increasing the sample input volume.
Figure 17. Linearity of RNA purified from increasing plasma volumes.
Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500) was used to purify RNA from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma prepared from blood collected on citrate as an anticoagulant. Two microlitres of the purified RNA was then used as the template in RT-qPCR reactions to assess the linearity of the purified (A) housekeeping 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21 from the different plasma volumes. Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit was able to recover 97% of both the 5S rRNA transcript and miR-21 from 3 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 2 mL plasma. Moreover, 94% of the 5S rRNA transcript and 97% of the miR-21 was recovered from 5 mL plasma relative to the amount that is present in 3 mL plasma.
Figure 18. Determination of the amount of inhibition present in plasma RNA samples when detecting the human 5S transcript and mir-21.
RNA was isolated from 2 mL, 3 mL and 5 mL plasma using Norgen’s Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating and Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit (Cat# 56500). Increasing volumes of the elution (2, 4 and 8 μL) were used in a 20 μL reverse transcription reaction followed by qPCR amplification reaction to observe any decrease in Ct value. An increase in Ct values with increasing amount of template would be a clear indication of PCR inhibitors present in the sample. An increase in the PCR input volume used as a template in the reverse transcription reaction did not affect the Ct value generated from the qPCR amplification for both (A) 5S rRNA transcript and (B) miR-21. In fact the Ct values tend to decrease with increasing the PCR input volume indicating that RNA purified from plasma using Norgen’s kit is free of the common inhibitors usually present in plasma.
Specifications & Configuration
Select the optimal configuration table below to evaluate input ranges, expected elution profiles, and equipment processing options across the product range:
| Catalogue No. | Product | Contents/Specifications |
|---|---|---|
| P4-0354 | Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating & Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Mini Kit – 56300 | Input Volume: 50 µL to 200 µL Elution Volume: 10 µL to 25 µL Processing Format: Benchtop Microcentrifuge Kit Size: 50 preparations |
| P4-0355 | Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating & Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Midi Kit – 56400 | Input Volume: 250 µL to 1.5 mL Elution Volume: 50 µL to 100 µL Processing Format: Swinging-Bucket Centrifuge or Vacuum Kit Size: 20 preparations |
| P4-0356 | Plasma/Serum Cell-Free Circulating & Viral Nucleic Acid Purification Maxi Kit – 56500 | Input Volume: 2 mL to 5 mL Elution Volume: 50 µL to 150 µL Processing Format: Swinging-Bucket Centrifuge or Vacuum Kit Size: 10 preparations |
- Sample Matrix: Fresh, frozen, or preserved plasma/serum samples
- Anticoagulant Compatibility: Optimised for EDTA or Citrate (Heparin is not recommended)
- Target Biomarkers: Short cfc-DNA (≥50 bp), circulating RNA, exosomal RNA, and viral DNA/RNA
- Separation Matrix Chemistry: Proprietary Silicon Carbide Resin technology
- Carrier Backgrounds: Complete workflow functions without requiring exogenous carrier RNA
- Downstream Compliance: Yields inhibitor-free templates ready for PCR, qPCR, RT-qPCR, NGS, and microarrays
- Storage Temperature: Stable at ambient room temperature (15–25°C)
- Shelf Life: 2 years from shipment date under designated storage parameters