Low Cost DNA Testing
DNA tests for paternity, genealogy, or disease gene testing typically cost in the hundreds of dollars. Professor Lewis Rothberg and his team at the University of Rochester have developed a method that is not only cheaper, but also faster. The fluorescent DNA screening assay can be used to:
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Assess water purity
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Check for food contamination
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Identify criminals
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Test ponds and pools for cleanliness
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Identify harmful genetic sequences (mutations)
The test relies on probes created from DNA sequences (black coils) that are tagged with a fluorescent marker (red circles). Once the probes have been allowed to anneal with the target DNA sequence, it is mixed with gold particles (yellow circles). If the DNA in the solution being analyzed has the target sequence and binds to the probe, it will be fluorescent. Excess probe and DNA without the target sequence will bind to the gold particles and will not fluoresce.
In May 2005, Professor Rothberg and partners created Diffinity Genomics to commercialize the technique. (They don’t appear to have a website yet.)
University of Rochester Science Portal, December 27, 2006
Tags: dna testing, dna tests, genetics, genes, dna, lewis rothberg, diseases, illness, health
