Tuesday, 9th January 2007 (3946 views)

Gold nanoparticles have proved an essential part of work on cost-effective methods of studying DNA.

Professor Lewis Rothberg from the University of Rochester was awarded a NYSTAR grant in August last year to continue his work on testing DNA to improve health, making sure people are drinking clean water and eating uncontaminated food.

And his new method aims to improve techniques at forensic labs to identify criminals as well as test ponds and swimming pools for potentially harmful water by utilising gold nanoparticles, which determine whether specific DNA target sequences are present.

The basic idea behind the technique is that single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA attract gold nanoparticles differently, meaning single strands can be targeted and identified easier.

Ionically charged gold nanoparticles have electric pulls, with an anion having a negative charge and a cation having a positive charge. The two also attract their opposites.

This means that single-strand DNA adsorbs onto the gold particles but double strands do not.

And the new test means that the time needed to identify DNA strands can be cut considerably, along with the cost. To set up the technique in a lab costs just $600 (£309), according to reports.

 

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