Advance in DNA sequencing announced

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists, using computer simulations, have developed a new DNA sequencing technique that might lead to a device that could read human genomes.

University of Illinois researchers said their technique involves driving the molecule back and forth through a nanopore capacitor in a semiconductor chip. They said the technique might result in being able to sequence a human genome for $1,000 or less, opening a new era in personal medicine by making it possible to precisely diagnose the cause of many diseases and tailor drugs and treatment procedures to a specific person's genetic make-up.

"Despite the tremendous interest in using nanopores for sequencing DNA, it was unclear how, exactly, nanopores could be used to read the DNA sequence," said physics Professor Aleksei Aksimentiev. "Through molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that back-and-forth motion of a DNA molecule in a nanopore capacitor one nanometer in diameter produces an electrostatic fingerprint that can be used to read the genetic sequence."

The new technique is detailed in a paper accepted for publication in the journal Nano Letters, and posted on the journal's Web site.