'Fishing reel' used to store DNA
'Fishing reel' used to store DNA
2008-07-14Newsfeed
Scientists in Japan have built the world's smallest fishing reel which they have used to store strands of DNA without exposing them to damage.
Scientists in Japan have built the world's smallest fishing reel which they have used to store strands of DNA without exposing them to damage.
The team's breakthrough will allow geneticists to locate specific genes and thereby help with the identification of genetic disorders.
The microdevice, designed and built at Kyoto University, means researchers can sidestep the problem of identifying where markers attach on the usually tangled DNA molecules. Furthermore, the traditional method of chemically altering the two ends of each strand and pulling them apart - which often leads to breaking of the strand - is also avhoided.
The team has developed tiny bobbins and Z-shaped barbed hooks made from a polymer known as SU-8 photoresist, which like fishing reels wind the molecules on to a spool where they can be accessed at will.
Laser beams are directed on to the device to wind and unwind the spool to allow access to the centimetre long strands.
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
