An advantage of the automation by using bellows tip is that, while several apparatuses different in sample capacity should be prepared depending on sample volume, it is possible to handle multiple samples in an amount of 200 µl to 20 ml in a single apparatus, only by using different tips separately. The system enables sample concentration before nucleic acid extraction and thus, it is possible to recover bacteria and microbes contained in the sample in trace amounts and to perform direct nucleic acid extraction from the recovered solution.
It is possible for example to concentrate a 20- ml sample approximately by 100 times, by automatic capture with the proprietary microbe-capturing particles and the bellows tip. Nucleic acid extraction from the suspension can then be performed simply by changing the bellows tip.
Because aspirating and dispensing can be repeated simply, it would also be possible to automate operations such as agitation, homogenization and solubilization, which were traditionally performed manually.
