"This detection technique, which uses DNA to seek out target
DNA, could one day be used in clinical care situations to
quickly detect diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis," says
Professor Ulrich Krull, the AstraZeneca Chair in biotechnology
and vice-principal (research) at the University of Toronto at
Mississauga. "It could also act to constantly monitor the
environment and sound an alarm if harmful agents were to
appear." In a study, outlined in the March issue of Bioorganic &
Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Krull and graduate student Xiaofeng
Wang used a fluorescent dye attached to probe DNA that binds to
specific target DNA sequences, illuminates in the presence of a
targeted pathogen or genetic mutation and then sends a detection
signal through an optical fibre. By simply adding heat, the dye
unbinds and the detection chemistry is ready to test the next
sample. The chemical screening system fits onto a microchip and
soon could test blood and water samples in a matter of seconds.
Krull says that while commerci