What is NASBA?

Nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) is a method in molecular biology which is used to amplify RNA sequences. NASBA was developed by J Compton in 1991, who defined it as "a primer-dependent technology that can be used for the continuous amplification of nucleic acids in a single mixture at one temperature." Immediately after the invention of NASBA it was used for the rapid diagnosis and quantification of HIV-1 in patient sera. Although RNA can also be amplified by PCR using a reverse transcriptase (in order to synthesize a complementary DNA strand as a template), NASBA's main advantage is that it works at isothermic conditions - usually at a constant temperature of 41°C. NASBA has been introduced into medical diagnostics, where it has been shown to give quicker results than PCR, and it can also be more sensitive. [Source: wikipedia.com]

Detailed reaction overview: www.premierbiosoft.com/tech_notes/NASBA.html

Who uses NASBA?

• The College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida for the detection of Red Tide (k. brevis), noroviruses, and enteroviruses [Sources: www.marine.usf.edu/microbiology/sensor-research-main.shtml & www.marine.usf.edu/systems/]
• Academia and research institutions
• Medical laboratories
• Government agencies such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH)

Who makes instrumentation for NASBA?

• Bioplex Technologies Inc. makes the SE300 Portable Bioreaction Monitoring System that can react a single sample with two concurrent reactions [Source: bioplextechnologies.com]
• bioMérieux makes the NucliSENS EasyQ benchtop automated system for automated lab testing of several samples at once [Source: biomerieux-diagnostics.com]
• Any other temperature regulated flurometer can be used for detecting a NASBA reaction, given that the excitation and detection wavelengths of the beacons are matched to the optics.

Why do I need the NASBA Analysis software?

Although the NASBA reaction is wonderfully adept at qualifying the presence of the target genetic sequence with a simple yes/no threshold, quantifying the data is a little trickier. The Time-To-Positivity (TTP) method is used to determine the initial concentration in the sample, which requires advanced processing techniques to achieve R² > 0.9 models. We offer:

• an advanced data parser that can interpret data from almost any comma-separated value (CSV) format
• advanced digital filtering techniques for your data that removes noise without lowering or delaying the overall system response
• data point interpolation to remove sample-time jitter and estimate missing sample points
• negative sample calibration to remove system drift and sample kinetic effects
• different TTP search algorithms for varying assay setups
• automated sample calibration and system modeling to help you tune the parameters
• automated data flow once your desired settings are saved; get an estimated concentration just by loading a new data file
• friendly CSV export of the data for archiving, further processing, or plotting in another program

This is close, but I need a customized version for my instrumentation...

Whether you want more automation, integration, or something entirely different, we can help. Contact us to discuss all the possibilities within your reach!