The NIST study suggests the method could identify about 66 billion bases—the smallest units of genetic information—per second with 90 percent accuracy and no false positives. If demonstrated experimentally, the NIST method might ultimately be faster and cheaper than conventional DNA sequencing, meeting a critical need for applications such as forensics.
The BioOptics World take on this story:
NIST researchers have developed a method for rapid, accurate DNA sequencing that involves pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene (an ultrathin sheet of carbon atoms) and detecting changes in electrical current. The researchers say that their method could identify about 66 billion bases/s with 90% accuracy and no false positives, and could be faster and cheaper than conventional DNA sequencing for applications such as forensics.
Related: DNA sequencing technologies: The next generation and beyond
Related: Laser fluorescence powers sequencing advances
Related: CSI: Multidimensional Raman spectroscopy
NIST researchers have developed a method for rapid, accurate DNA sequencing that involves pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene (an ultrathin sheet of carbon atoms) and detecting changes in electrical current. The researchers say that their method could identify about 66 billion bases/s with 90% accuracy and no false positives, and could be faster and cheaper than conventional DNA sequencing for applications such as forensics.
Related: DNA sequencing technologies: The next generation and beyond
Related: Laser fluorescence powers sequencing advances
Related: CSI: Multidimensional Raman spectroscopy