Chelex 100 Resin for DNA and RNA Sample Preparation

Chelex* Chelating Resins are produced by Bio-Rad and widely used for a range of applications. Chelex 100 Resin**, and related InstaGene Matrix**, have long been trusted for the preparation of nucleic acids from many sample types including forensic samples, blood, tissues, cell cultures, parasites, insects, and bacteria.

Streamline PCR or LAMP Sample Preparation with Chelex 100 Resin

Molecular detection methods are instrumental; from criminal forensics to food and clinical pathogen detection. Nucleic acids, such as DNA or RNA, collected from these samples need to be first isolated before downstream processing and analysis by PCR, ddPCR, or LAMP. This isolation is often performed with commercially available nucleic acid extraction kits designed for specific applications. Such kits tend to be costly and are used even in applications where highly purified nucleic acids are not required. In addition, these kits can generate a significant amount of chemical and plastic waste.

Chelex 100 Resin is an alternative to extraction kits and enables rapid DNA or RNA sample preparation at a fraction of the cost, while generating less waste.

Advantages of Chelex 100 Resin for Nucleic Acid Sample Preparation

Application of Chelex 100 Resin in Pathogen Detection

Fast, simple workflow
Significant cost-savings over nucleic acid extraction kits
Long shelf life (3 years***)
Trusted manufacturer
Scalable for high-throughput screening

Chelex 100 Resin Inhibits Nuclease Activity

Chelex 100 Resin is designed to strongly bind divalent metal ions such as Mg²⁺ that are required for the activity of metallo-nucleases. The addition of Chelex 100 Resin effectively inhibits nuclease activity in complex samples and stabilizes samples for downstream PCR applications. Simultaneously, Chelex 100 Resin efficiently removes PCR inhibitors. Thus, Chelex 100 Resin can be utilized in place of expensive DNA or RNA extraction kits.

Sample Preparation Workflow

Chelex 100 Resin enables DNA or RNA preparations from complex samples without DNA or RNA extraction kits. A fast, simple four-step workflow is typically sufficient for the preparation of nucleic acids from a wide variety of sample types. Additional reagents can easily be combined with Chelex 100 Resin if required for the specific sample/application.

RNA Sample Preparation for COVID-19 Detection with Chelex 100 Resin

The importance of molecular diagnostics to inform public health decisions was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by shortages and supply-chain disruptions, many laboratories and organizations discovered that Chelex 100 Resin can be utilized as an alternative to RNA extraction kits.

Learn how laboratories have validated the use of Chelex 100 Resin to prepare samples for viral RNA detection in the following featured articles and discover a simple protocol utilizing Chelex 100 Resin or InstaGene Matrix as an effective alternative to an extraction kit (Bulletin 3318).

Featured Articles: Application of Chelex 100 Resin for SARS-CoV-2 RNA Sample Preparation

Sensitive extraction-free SARS-CoV-2 RNA virus detection using a chelating resin
Guan B et al. iScience. 2021 Sep; 24: 102960. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102960

A simple direct RT-LAMP SARS-CoV-2 saliva diagnostic.
Flynn MJ et al. medRxiv 2020.11.19.20234948; DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.19.20234948

A point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 test based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification without RNA extraction with diagnostic performance same as RT-PCR
Odiwuor N et al. Analytica Chimica Acta 2022 Feb; 1200. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.339590

A simple method for SARS-CoV-2 detection by rRT-PCR without the use of a commercial RNA extraction kit. Ulloa S et al. J Virol Methods. 2020 Nov;285:113960. DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113960.

Ordering Information

Chelex 100 Resin (Molecular Biology Grade) allows the optimization of the Chelex 100 Resin suspension to fit your application; it is particularly suited for processing large amounts of samples.

InstaGene Matrix is a ready-to-use, optimized Chelex 100 Resin suspension that is quality controlled for lot-to-lot reproducibility. It is offered as a convenient, finished formula for preparing routine samples.