New technology could give DNA results ‘in minutes’
1 min read
Scientists from Imperial College London are developing technology that they say could sequence a person's genome in minutes and at a fraction of the cost of current commercial techniques. The researchers have patented an early prototype technology that they believe could lead to an ultrafast commercial DNA sequencing tool within 10 years.
According to the researchers, it is now possible to propel a DNA strand at high speed through a 50nanometre (nm) hole cut in a silicon chip, using an electrical charge. As the strand emerges from the back of the chip, its coding sequence (bases A, C, T or G) is read by a 'tunnelling electrode junction'. This 2nm gap between two wires supports an electrical current that interacts with the distinct electrical signal from each base code. A computer can then interpret the base code's signal to construct the genome sequence, making it possible to combine all these techniques for the first time.
Dr Joshua Edel, one of the authors on the study from the Department of Chemistry, says that the device, which costs just a few Dollars, could lead to much cheaper sequencing. "We haven't tried it on a whole genome yet," he said, "but our initial experiments suggest that you could theoretically do a complete scan of the 3,165million bases in the human genome within minutes, providing huge benefits for medical tests, or DNA profiles for police and security work. It should be significantly faster and more reliable."
Edel claims this fast and inexpensive genome sequencing could allow people to unlock the secrets of their own DNA, revealing their personal susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer.
