Posted: 12/23/2004 9:48:18 PM EDT
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Programmable Chip Synthesizes Genes Mass production system could be used for gene therapy and creating artificial organisms Betterhumans Staff 12/23/2004 2:33 PM A programmable chip that can mass produce synthetic genes has been developed that could improve gene therapy and facilitate the creation of artificial organisms. "Synthetic genes are like a box of Lego building blocks," says researcher Xiaolian Gao of the University of Houston in Texas. "Their organization is very complex, even in simple organisms. By making programmed synthesis of genes economical, we can provide more efficient tools to aid the efforts of researchers to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate biological systems. There are many potential biochemical and biomedical applications." Such applications include understanding the regulation of gene function, creating functioning organisms that can produce energy, neutralize toxins and make drugs, and creating artificial genes that could be used in gene therapy. Called picoarray gene synthesis, the new system employs digital technology similar to that used to make computer chips, report Gao and colleagues. Pools of oligonucleotides are synthesized on programmable chips, released, amplified, selected using a special technique to reduce synthesis errors and assembled into multiple genes. The researchers estimate that the system will be approximately 100 times more cost- and time-efficient than current technologies. The research is reported in the journal Nature (read abstract |
