Transforming Single DNA Molecules into Fluorescent Magnetic Particles for Detection and Enumeration of Genetic Variation

Researchers have developed a technology called BEAMing (Beads, Emulsion, Amplification and Magnetics), which can assess millions of molecules simultaneously for the study of human genetic variation. BEAMing technology converts single DNA molecules into single magnetic beads, each bead possessing thousands of copies of the original DNA molecule. The proportion of one kind of DNA molecule in a population of DNA molecules can be assessed by fluorescent staining and counting via flow cytometry. Flow sorting allows the separation of specific variants that can be verified for further experimentation. Description (Set) Proposed Use (Set) BEAMing has many advantages over current amplification methodologies. 1. Requires simple instrumentation readily available in most laboratories. 2. Sensitivity of the technique can be increased by simply adding more beads. 3. Detects the presence of DNA variants in a population and also quantifies their proportion. 4. Variant DNA molecules can be recovered for further downstream analysis. 5. BEAMing is automatable. BEAMing technology is capable of analyzing DNA variants within any organism and may also be used to quantify the proportion of methylated and unmethylated DNA templates in a sample when coupled to bisulfite DNA treatment. BEAMing could also be used with random DNA fragments from whole genomes that may identify sequence associated with specific DNA binding proteins. This technology could be used as a diagnostics tool for screening for known disease mutations and for common epigenetic changes in diseased tissues.

Inventor(s): Vogelstein, Bert

Type of Offer: Licensing



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