(Press-News.org) An unusual and very exciting form of carbon - that can be created by drawing on paper- looks to hold the key to real-time, high throughput DNA sequencing, a technique that would revolutionise medical research and testing.
Led by Dr Jiri Cervenka and PhD candidate Nikolai Dontschuk from the University of Melbourne, the study also included scientists from the Australian Synchrotron and La Trobe University and is published in Nature Communications.
The Australian researchers have shown that graphene- a one-atom thick sheet of hexagonally arranged carbon, shaped like chicken wire - can detect the four nucleobases that make up DNA (cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine).
A unique combination of the four nucleobases makes up the individual DNA sequence of a gene. Currently, DNA sequencing is a fundamental tool for medical diagnostics, forensic testing and medical and biological research.
The use of graphene to electrically sequence DNA promises to improve the speed, throughput, reliability and accuracy whilst reducing the price compared to current techniques said Nikolai Dontschuk from the University of Melbourne.
"We found that each nucleobase influenced the electronic structure of graphene in a measurably different way," said Mr Dontschuk.
"When used in conjunction with a nanopore (a tiny hole), a single DNA molecule would pass through the graphene-based electrical sensor - like a single string of beads passing through one section of tiny chicken wire- enabling real-time, high-throughput sequencing of a single DNA molecule."
The research team conducted the first experiments to combine in situ electrical measurements of graphene-based field effect transistors (GFET) with photoemission spectroscopy at the soft x-ray spectroscopy beamline at the Synchrotron.
After comparing the experimental and synchrotron results, the team predicted that single-molecule sensing of guanine, cytosine and thymine by bulk graphene devices could be achieved.
INFORMATION:
Notes on Graphene:
Graphene is the world's first two-dimensional material, with each sheet composed of single layers of carbon. When these are stacked together they make graphite, which is found in drawing pencils. When drawing with a pencil, pieces of graphite peel off, sometimes leaving behind a layer that is one single atom thick, which is graphene.
Although graphene had been studied as a theoretical structure for some decades, it wasn't officially discovered until 2004, when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov reported they had prepared stable graphene in sufficient quantities to perform analytical measurements.
Their novel preparation method involved using adhesive tape to separate sections of graphite into thinner and thinner layers, which they then transferred to silicon wafers. For their efforts, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2010.
An observational study by Sahlgrenska Academy researchers at a large Swedish hospital found 2,393 opportunities for hand disinfection and/or aseptic techniques. Doctors and nurses missed 90% of the opportunities.
A new study at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is attracting a great deal of attention in the healthcare and research community. The study shows that the use of hand disinfection and aseptic techniques during risk-prone invasive procedures is very low.
Direct observations
Performed at a large Swedish hospital, the study is the first of its kind ...
Physicists at the Universities of Bonn and Cambridge have succeeded in linking two completely different quantum systems to one another. In doing so, they have taken an important step forward on the way to a quantum computer. To accomplish their feat the researchers used a method that seems to function as well in the quantum world as it does for us people: teamwork. The results have now been published in the "Physical Review Letters".
When facing big challenges, it is best to work together. In a team, the individual members can contribute their individual strengths - to ...
Coast redwoods are famous for being the tallest trees in the world, but their height is not the only thing that sets them apart. Unlike most conifer trees, coast redwoods can reproduce by sprouting from cut stumps, fallen logs, and roots. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, are uncovering important information about patterns of coast redwood clones with a new DNA analysis method that could help forest management and preservation efforts.
The new method, described in a recent issue of Applications of Plant Sciences, will enable scientists to identify ...
Northridge, CA (March 30, 2015) - A recent analysis published in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Food Science reveals a beneficial relationship between dietary magnesium intake and diabetes-related outcomes including decreased risk for metabolic syndrome, obesity or overweight, elevated blood pressure, and reduced HDL (good) cholesterol(1).
This secondary analysis examined the relationship between dietary magnesium intake from food and food combined with supplements and diabetes and other related health factors in adults (? 20 years) using data from the National Health ...
RENO, Nev. - New research into the changing ecology of thousands of shallow lakes on the North Slope of Alaska suggests that in scenarios of increasing global temperatures, methane-generating microbes, found in thawing lake sediments, may ramp up production of the potent greenhouse gas - which has a global warming potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.
A study published this month in Geobiology - resulting from five-years of collaborative research led by Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) and including scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), ...
March 30, 2015 - There are few global public health issues of greater importance than antimicrobial resistance in terms of impact on society. Many existing antimicrobials are becoming less effective and the development pipeline for new antibiotics is at an all-time low. Thus, change is needed to address antimicrobial resistance. This complex global public health challenge is tackled in a timely special focus issue of Future Microbiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Future Medicine Ltd.
Modern medicine relies on the widespread availability of effective antimicrobials ...
New research from the University of Copenhagen has found that the beneficial effects of exercise are more important for our health than the negative effects of air pollution, in relation to the risk of premature mortality. In other words, benefits of exercise outweigh the harmful effects of air pollution.
The study shows that despite the adverse effects of air pollution on health, air pollution should be not perceived as a barrier to exercise in urban areas. "Even for those living in the most polluted areas of Copenhagen, it is healthier to go for a run, a walk or to ...
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University researchers have found that an unexpectedly high percentage of young people experience "exploding head syndrome," a psychological phenomenon in which they are awakened by abrupt loud noises, even the sensation of an explosion in their head.
Brian Sharpless, a Washington State University assistant professor and director of the university psychology clinic, found that nearly one in five -- 18 percent -- of college students interviewed said they had experienced it at least once. It was so bad for some that it significantly impacted ...
1. USPSTF reviews evidence to update recommendations on iron supplementation and deficiency screening in pregnant women
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reviewed published evidence to update its recommendations on iron supplementation and screening for iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women. The evidence review is being published in Annals of Internal Medicine simultaneously with an evidence review in Pediatrics on screening for iron deficiency anemia in young children.
Iron needs increase during pregnancy due to the demands of the growing fetus and ...
Distasteful though it sounds, the transplantation of fecal matter is more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections than previously thought.
The research, published in the open access journal Microbiome, reveals that healthy changes to a patient's microbiome are sustained for up to 21 weeks after transplant, and has implications for the regulation of the treatment.
Clostridium difficile infections are a growing problem, leading to recurrent cases of diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, with thousands of fatalities worldwide every year. The infection is ...
