New electrostatic-based DNA microarray technique could revolutionize medical d...(ents of the electrical charges of the DN...)

Date:6/30/2008

ents of the electrical charges of the DNA molecules. These measurements can in turn be used to interrogate millions of DNA sequences at a time. What's more, these measurements can be observed and recorded with a simple hand-held imaging device even a cell phone camera will do.

"The assumption has been that no detection technique could be more sensitive than fluorescent labeling, but this is completely untrue, as our results have plainly demonstrated," said Groves. "We've shown that changes in surface charge density as a result of specific DNA hybridization can be detected and quantified with 50-picometer sensitivity, single base-pair mismatch selectivity, and in the presence of complex backgrounds. Furthermore, our electrostatic detection technique should render DNA and RNA microarrays sufficiently cost effective for broad world-health applications, as well as research."

Your susceptibility to a given disease and how your body will respond to drugs or other interventions is unique to your genetic makeup. Under a personalized medicine plan, treatment effectiveness is maximized and risks are minimized by tailoring disease treatments specifically to you. This requires the precise diagnostic tests and targeted therapies that can stem from assays using a DNA microarray a thumbnail-sized substrate containing thousands of microscopic spots of oligonucleotides (stretches of DNA about 20 base pairs in length) laid out in a grid.

Often referred to as "gene chips," DNA microarray assays and their RNA counterparts have become one of the most powerful tools for gene-expression profiling, the identification of mutations, and the detection of multiple pathogens in patients afflicted either by multiple diseases or drug-resistant strains of diseases. Aside from their potential future role in personalized medicine, the widespread use of DNA microarray assay devices could have an immediate and profound impact on the treatment of diseases today. For exam
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Contact: Lynn Yarris lcyarris@lbl.gov 510-486-5375 DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Source:Eurekalert

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