Skip to main content

Mapping disease genes is no longer a problem, a new technique developed

Research scientists from Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have developed a new DNA-sequencing method that is much cheaper than those currently in use in laboratories. This new method will make it possible to map disease genes in large patient groups, which in turn can mean quicker breakthroughs for new treatments for a wide variety of diseases. By mapping DNA, scientists can trace disease genes, understand how bacteria and viruses cause infection and chart the evolution of mankind and other species. When the HUGO project mapped the first human genome not so long ago, it cost over a billion kronor and took over ten years. Today, there are instruments on the market that can do the same thing in a matter of months for less then ten million kronor. However, if scientists are to have opportunities to study disease genes in detail, and from hundreds of patients, the process must be much, much cheaper.

Sten Linnarsson and his team at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, has now developed a new DNA-sequencing method that can one day make it possible to map out the human genome for one-tenth of today’s cost. The scientists took DNA from the enteric bacteria E. coli and split it into tiny fragments, each with a length of approximately 200 nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA: A, C, G and T). These fragments were then spread out and fixed onto a microscope slide so that several million fragments could be analysed simultaneously. These fragments were then rinsed in a fluid containing short DNA sequences of five nucleotides, marked with a fluorescent dye, which allowed them to examine which of the short DNA sequences adhered to each fragment.

After having rinsed all possible short DNA sequences over several million fragments, the scientists were able to then digitally piece together the sequences into one complete chain of the entire bacteria genome, a total of 4.5 million nucleotides long. Its not too far from now that we can sequence every DNA in labs in minutes. via Karolinska Inst.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Charging Implanted Heart Pumps Wirelessly

Mechanical pumps to give failing hearts a boost were originally developed as temporary measures for patients awaiting a heart transplant. But as the technology has improved, these ventricular assist devices commonly operate in patients for years, including in former vice-president Dick Cheney, whose implant this month celebrates its one-year anniversary. Prolonged use, however, has its own problems. The power cord that protrudes through the patient's belly is cumbersome and prone to infection over time. Infections occur in close to 40 percent of patients, are the leading cause of rehospitalization, and can be fatal. Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have tested a wireless power system for ventricular assist devices. They recently presented the work in Washington, D.C. at the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs annual meeting, where it received the Willem Kolff/Donald B. Olsen Award for most promising research in

Autism and Eye Contact: Genes very much are involved

We have now a lot of evidence on genetic components in many disorders including neurological in both adults and kids. Autism is one such problem that has many genes involved. Research is still in full swing to find more genes and related pathways. However, one can find autistic features more phenotypically before genotyping. Eye contact is one of them. Studies have shown that autistic kids make less eye contact. This has been shown to have genetic component now. New research has uncovered compelling evidence that genetics plays a major role in how children look at the world and whether they have a preference for gazing at people's eyes and faces or at objects. The discovery by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta adds new detail to understanding the causes of autism spectrum disorder. The results show that the moment-to-moment movements of children's eyes as they seek visual information about the

How much people depend on weather reports

Meteorologists on television, radio, online, and in newspapers supply weather reports to the average person over 100 times a month. Surveys demonstrated that the 300 billion forecasts accessed generate a value of $285 per household every year, or $32 billion for the entire United States. Odds are you have already watched one weather forecast today and will probably check out a few more. Accurate, timely forecasts are vital to everyday life, but just how critical may surprise you. Whether at work or play, you probably watch the weather quite closely. Most of us are at the weather person's mercy to know what to wear, what to expect, to prepare for the worst. New research shows the average United States household checks out a weather report more than three times a day. "It impacts pretty much every part of every activity we are involved with for the most part," Jeff Lazo, the director of the Societal Impacts Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in B