Friday 6 September 2013

Sequencing DNA with Surface Tension

 A new technique, known as molecular threading, now lets researchers grab onto a single gnarled strand of DNA in solution, draw it out into thin air, and neatly fix it to a substrate where it can be accessed.  Using Poly(methyl methacrylate) a thermoplastic hydrophobic material they can pull the DNA from a tiny drop like it is a string in your hand.  

Check it out here:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/165483-molecular-threading-a-powerful-tool-for-dna-sequencing

and the original article here:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069058