Related
University of British Columbia researchers have developed a new way to extract DNA from small or heavily contaminated samples that could help both forensic investigators and molecular biologists.
Extracting DNA by conventional methods has proven challenging when there are only trace amounts of DNA or when the source sample has been contaminated or compromised.
"We've been able to extract DNA from samples that would otherwise not produce enough clean DNA for analysis," said UBC Biophysics Prof. Andre Marziali in a news release Monday.
"We've found that DNA responds to electric fields in a way that is very different from other molecules," Marziali said in the release.
"By exploiting this unique property, we were able to extract high-quality DNA from a highly contaminated [sample]," Marziali said.
The team also successfully tested the technique on material provided by the RCMP.
DNA — or deoxyribonucleic acid — is present in the cells of all plants and animals and contains each individual's unique genetic code. Because DNA analysis can provide precise identification more reliably than fingerprints, it is often used in police investigations and has many other applications.
The new technique developed at the Vancouver university is being commercialized through Boreal Genomics, a UBC spin-off company, and is expected to have broad applications, from basic life-science research to forensic sample analysis, bio-defence and pathogen detection for food safety and clinical diagnostics, Monday's release said.
The research team — which included scientists from UBC and the B.C. Cancer Agency's Genome Science Centre — has detailed the technique in the Aug. 10 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Adele capped off a "life-changing" year by winning six Grammys Sunday night, including record of the year and album of the year for 21 more »
- Greece cleans up after anti-austerity riots
- Firefighters douse smouldering buildings and cleanup crews sweep rubble from the streets of central Athens after a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures. more »
- CBC digital music service launches
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes, and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Whitney Houston death shows no signs of trauma
- Whitney Houston's life of glorious song and unnerving self-destruction apparently ended on Grammy weekend, but it could be weeks before investigators know exactly why she died. more »
Latest Technology & Science News Headlines
- Chinese iPhone, iPad factories audited
- Chinese factories where Apple devices are assembled are undergoing voluntary audits of their working conditions by an independent workers' rights watchdog that the company recently joined. more »
- CBC digital music service launches
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes, and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Video game's 50th anniversary marked by MIT
- Students at MIT celebrated the 50th anniversary of Spacewar!, the first videogame in history, by re-creating it on a computer the size of a business card. more »
- NASA to scale back Mars exploration
- Scientists say NASA is about to propose major cuts in its exploration of other planets, especially Mars, with the space agency's former science chief calling the plan irrational. more »
Bob McDonald's Blog
Glacier Discovery Walk: Will the visitor centre enhance the view? Feb. 10, 2012 3:17 PM Environment minister Peter Kent has announced the construction of a new Glacier Discovery Walk and visitor centre on the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. It raises the issue of how to balance commercial development in our National Parks against the preservation of the last refuges of wilderness.
Quirks & Quarks
- February 11: Inside the Mind of a Neandertal Feb. 10, 2012 4:01 PM Can we get inside the mind of a species that's been dead for 30,000 years? A new book, How to Think Like a Neanderthal, suggests we can. The authors reconstruct a creature like us in many ways, but with important differences.
Latest Features
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Whitney Houston autopsy results withheld
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- 2 vehicles sink on river highway
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting

