Researchers at Arizona State University in the US say that they have made a new molecular reader that might be able to sequence DNA. The device works by capturing molecules in a hole cut into a layered tunnel junction. The work is part of a global effort to develop speedy, low-cost methods to read DNA nucleotides – the building blocks of life.
The genome, or genetic profile, of any living being – be it an animal or a plant – can now be determined by sequencing the base pairs that make up its DNA. It is already over a decade since the Human Genome Project made history by sequencing the entire human genetic code, which contains a staggering three billion DNA base pairs.
In this ground-breaking work, the researchers first isolated a DNA strand and forced it to copy itself a million times over in a special chemical reaction. These strands were then “exploded” into tiny fragments, because most DNA sequencing techniques available at the time could only analyse very short sections of DNA. A supercomputer then matched up overlapping base patterns to piece together the full genome…..
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/59294
