Personal genomic machine: a DNA sequencer the size of a printer
Desktop genome decoder goes on sale
Membrane based on Gizmag materials: Printer-sized Personal Genome Machine launchedThe device weighs 22 kilograms and does not take up much space in the laboratory, the Americans praise their invention (photo Ion Torrent).
The size and weight are like a large printer, and the capabilities are like an entire laboratory. The new device for the first time directly translates genetic information into digital form, bypassing many intermediate steps.
Now, decoding the genome of some bacteria will cost scientists less than with previous methods, and it will also take not days or weeks, but only a couple of hours. The "Personal Genome Machine" was created by the American company Ion Torrent.
The novelty is based on a semiconductor chip that measures the concentration of hydrogen ions produced during DNA replication in real time.
Of course, before sending a sample for analysis, it must be prepared in advance, which is served by a set of reagents supplied with the machine and purchased as needed.
The heart of the whole system is the Ion Semiconductor Sequencing Chip. Simplistically, it works like this: 1.3 million of its microscopic depressions are filled with unique DNA sequence templates. When the micro pumps run the prepared sample of the genetic code through the chip, the enzymes begin to complete the DNA chains, connecting the corresponding nucleotides. At the same time, hydrogen ions are released, which fall into the sensitive layer of the chip and are fixed by highly sensitive sensors under its surface. As a result, a genome map is born in the form of a set of "ion signals" (Ion Torrent illustrations).
After the machine has recorded a sequence of ion signals, it is forwarded to the server, which, according to the original algorithm, converts this information into a sequence of base pairs and returns it as a file suitable for further analysis by a number of available programs.
Contrary to the name, the "personal genomic machine" is not intended for medical diagnostics based on human DNA or therapeutic purposes. Its market (at least for now) is research organizations.
Life Technologies, a company known for its own DNA sequencing technologies, bought Ion Torrent last summer, thereby expanding the range of biotechnological equipment offered. Life Technologies reports that the Personal Genome Machine costs about $100 thousand.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru22.12.2010