Sequence-Detecting Nanoscale Sensor

Makarand writes "A nanoscale sensor made of a single molecule - just 20 nanometers long - capable of detecting a specific short sequence in a mix of DNA or RNA molecules has been created by physicists at UCLA. This nanoscale sensor could be used to detect the early stages of cancers for which genetic markers are well known or extremely minute traces of biological weapons. When a target molecule binds to the probe molecule in the sensor, the probe molecule changes shape and pulls on the sensor. The motion of the sensor is detected by an optical technique to measure conformational changes in the probe molecule at the nanometer scale."

Comments

How long does it take?

[Cruel Angel]

I didn't see anything that indicates how long it take to bind to the appropriate sequence. Or how many false positives or compelete misses there are. (though I would guess false positives are very low).

It's a good start, but clearly there's a long way to go before it is more than just a 'lab' tool.

Re:How long does it take?

[Bowling Moses]

Or anything about sequence specificity. For example, can they make a probe bind only the sequence ATGCTGACCTT, or can they make a probe specific for only AxxCTGxCCTT? The concentration is important too--the higher the concentration of particles the easier (generally) it will be for something similar to bind and make a false positive.

Still, the ability to bind and report the binding of a single molecule of DNA of a (presumably) highly specific sequence is quite the accomplishment.

Re:How long does it take?

[Sgt York]

r can they make a probe specific for only AxxCTGxCCTT?

Yes. The probe would be either a cocktail of all the permutations of the listed sequence, or it could be AIICTGICCTT, where I is inosine. Inosine is a nitrogenous base derived from adenosine which can pair up with any of the four standard nucleotides.

Distributed computing to the rescue?

[KingArthur10]

There are a million ways molecule can attach to another depending on a number of variables such as placement of electrons and atoms in the molecule. I'm thinking, with all those possibilities, it would seem that the best way to simulate all those possibilities and pick out which molecules to use to bind with certain parts of DNA would be to develop a distributed computing project such as folding and Seti. I don't entirely understand HOW they are able to detect such deformities in the DNA with a single molecule, but given they can develop a method to accurately sense them, I'd imagine that it would take a heck of a lot of computing power to match the deformity up with a molecule. Just my tired two cents worth.

A leap forward

[Sgt York]

So, who's buying this tech? This could easily replace many of the current tools used to analyze gene expression at the bench. It may be years or decades brfore there is actual treatment based on this tech, but it may be used at the bench in the next few years. People (like my lab, for instance) spend huge ammounts of money to assay changes in RNA transcription under certain circumstances. If this could be measured in real time...hell, even if it could be measured quickly.

For those in the field, imagine being able to assay the ammount of your transcript of interest in an RNA sample as easily as you are able to measure total RNA. Pop a cuvette in a specialized spec and get a reading? You could have your answer in seconds as opposed to hours. Granted, the tech is not at that point yet, but it could easily get there in a few years.

Again I ask....what company is buying this? I want stock in them NOW.