New, Simpler Way to Detect DNA

Researchers have developed a new lower-cost method for detecting DNA that is so sensitive, costly DNA amplification can be reduced and perhaps eliminated. Their work was reported in the August 20, 2002, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Current tests to detect DNA, in order to identify the presence of a bacterium such as anthrax or a virus, require that the DNA be amplified or grown. In the new method, the researchers combined the use of a light-emitting polymer with peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes to make a very sensitive test that may not require amplification.

"The light-harvesting properties of the polymer mean that we can sense the presence of what we are trying to detect at much lower concentrations,” said Guillermo Bazan, a chemist at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB, USA; www.ucsb.edu) and co-author. "The goal will be to use this invention and not have the need to grow the DNA taken from the patient, but test directly the sample taken from the patient. This method will significantly decrease the cost of diagnostics.”

"Today's diagnostics detect the reaction to the invader rather than the invader itself,” said Brent Gaylord, a UCSB graduate student and co-author. "We have one testing method that enables direct detection of the invader, and it can be readily adapted to direct detection of other invaders merely by altering the PNA. We already have huge DNA data banks; the tester just has to get the complementary PNA.”




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