Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
A BETTER “PICKER-UPPER”
March 7th, 2010
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Author: 
Gubbins and his colleagues are interested in understanding the more diverse and complex phenomena that occur in materials whose pores are only a few times larger than those of the fluid being taken up. They are using the advanced computing resources of the Cornell Theory Center to conduct their research. The results of investigations into such phenomena could point to new ways to remove poisonous gases from the atmosphere and to purify oil and water. (more...)
Posted in Technology
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Tags: and liquid crystals, aqueous solutions, ceramic materials, chemical engineering, molecules, PICKER-UPPER, water
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RCAT™—Biochips
Gene-Based Diagnostics
Gene-Based Diagnostics Through RCAT™—Fast and Accurate
Gene-based diagnostic tests are the fastest growing segment of the in vitro diagnostic market. They use the tools of molecular biology to identify nucleotide substitutions, deletions, or insertions in genes of medical interest. These tests provide several advantages over immunodiagnostic tests. For example, an immunodiagnostic HIV test, the current industry standard, detects the presence of HIV antibodies in blood. A person’s immune system can take several weeks to produce antibodies after an infection so there can be a long window of time between infection and detection. Gene-based diagnostic tests can measure the RNA of the HIV virus directly, greatly reducing the time it takes to diagnose the disease.
RCAT™—Immunodiagnostics
Proteins and small molecules are commonly measured indirectly in diagnostics, through the use of antibodies (”immunodiagnostics”). Immunodiagnostic testing is the current “gold standard” for many diagnostic determinations. The application of RCAT™ in immunodiagnostics offers a significant opportunity for increasing the sensitivity of these tests.
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Allele Frequency Distortion
Allele Frequency Distortion (AFD), developed at the Yale University School of Medicine and licensed to MSI, is a method for identifying regions of DNA that differ between individuals who have a particular disease and those who do not.
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Rolling Circle Amplification Technology–Technical Details
RCAT™ driven by DNA polymerase can replicate circular oligonucleotide probes with either linear or geometric kinetics under isothermal conditions.
In the presence of two suitably designed primers, a geometric amplification occurs via DNA strand displacement and hyperbranching to generate 1012 or more copies of each circle in 1 hour.
In addition to grossly amplifying a signal, this method—called Exponential-RCAT (E-RCAT™)—is adequately sensitive to detect point mutations in genomic DNA.