US patent for simple, low-cost nucleic acid test:

Molecular Innovations has received a US patent covering its portable, easy-to-use, self-contained system for isolating, amplifying and sequencing DNA or RNA. The system, which can be used to detect specific nucleic acid sequences corresponding to genetically-linked diseases, may provide an economical and simple point-of-care tool for detecting disease predisposition and for monitoring patient response to treatment. The device could overcome the cost and ease-of-use hurdles of transferring nucleic acid-based testing to routine clinical or field testing faced by other methods currently used for genetic testing, said the Denver, Colorado-based company.