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Online Artificial Gene Design

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the outdated-already dept.

massivefoot writes to tell us New Scientist is reporting that researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have released a new software suite, GeneDesign, that helps to simplify the steps in designing artificial DNA. From the article: "These key steps include translating proteins and amino acids - the building blocks which make proteins - backwards into a DNA sequence. Or the software can manipulate simulated DNA "codons" which can code for an amino acid. DNA codons are made of sets of three nucleotides - the fundamental molecules which link together to form a DNA chain."

6 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Game by fozzy1015 · · Score: 5, Funny

    SimGene?

  2. For those who care by xirtap · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is a link to GeneDesign: http://slam.bs.jhmi.edu/gd/

    1. Re:For those who care by RDW · · Score: 4, Informative

      ...or for serious work, check out EMBOSS, an open source collection of hundreds of molecular biology tools with a range of optional GUIs, including an excellent web interface available at multiple sites.

  3. Intellectual property by quokkapox · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So who is going to sue me when I design a gene to make Avastin and Herceptin? This will be the real test of our obsolete intellectual property regime, when the medical establishment's equivalent of the RIAA/MPAA sues cancer patients for synthesizing their own drugs, like the music industry is now suing your neighbor's kids.

    --
    it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
  4. Re:Will the source code be available? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 4, Funny

    I believe god owns the source code to our dna.
    However, SCO might have something to say about that.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  5. What is the story here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What exactly is the exciting news here? This type of software has been around for many, many years. Analyzing a gene sequence to determine restriction enzyme sites, or optimizing codon usage for efficient heterologous expression is absolutely routine, and is performed even in undergraduate level molecular biology courses. It's laughable that the ability of this software to "...manipulate simulated DNA 'codons' which can code for an amino acid" is being touted as an advance.

    I can't even believe that New Scientist is reporting this, let alone Slashdot. There must be at least 100 other tools which perform the same functions, many of which are free (both as in beer and source code).