US Patent 10160966 Sample preparation method and apparatus

A method of preparing a nucleic acid sample with target enrichment uses a reaction vessel (11), within which is added a chelating agent to a sample with heating to about 99° C. to provide a crude lysate. A PNA probe is provided at a concentration sufficient for binding and capture of discernible levels of target nucleic acid. The PNA probe may be attached to beads (26) which are initially embedded in a wax body (17) and are released during the heating so that they are free to move and come into contact with the PNA probe and target DNA. After binding has occurred, the beads are magnetically attracted back into a pocket (16) along with the wax (17), which is allowed to solidify before they are removed from the reaction vessel.