Health News

Scientists Can Now Sequence DNA With A Handheld Device

Photo from Oxford Nanopore

The human genome can now be sequenced in the palm of one’s hand, scientists say.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have used a handheld device to sequence the human genome, saying that this opens up many new possibilities in the area of genetics and medicine, the BBC reports.

This is far ahead of the first efforts to sequence the human genome that began in 1990 through the Human Genome Project, which took 13 years, laboratories around the world, and hundreds of millions of dollars to complete.

Nicholas Loman, one of the scientists from the University of Birmingham, said,

We’ve gone from a situation where you can only do genome sequencing for a huge amount of money in well-equipped labs to one where we can have genome sequencing literally in your pocket just like a mobile phone.

He added, “That gives us a really exciting opportunity to start having genome sequencing as a routine tool, perhaps something people can do in their own home.”

Sequencing has the potential to change how medicine works. For example, the mutated DNA of cancers can be examined to determine the best treatment, or analyzing the genetic code of bacteria could mean early antibiotic treatment.

Several companies are in the race to make sequencing DNA a faster, cheaper method. The device used by the British scientists was developed by Oxford Nanopore. It works by placing long DNA strands through a small hole.

According to the scientists, the device was 99.5% accurate, and it allowed them to take a closer look at parts of human DNA that had not been previously thoroughly examined.

Matthew Loose, from the University of Nottingham, said that this technology analyzed longer DNA strands so that “we can read parts of the genome not seen before.” Loose said, “Telomere length can be quite important in cancer and ageing, it’s difficult in short reads because of the repeats, but we can see and start to map those things.”

Dr. Sobia Raza, the head of science at the PHG Foundation, said, “Our ability to sequence whole genomes quickly and cheaply continues to improve. But short-term patient benefits also depend on how well and how fast we can analyze and make sense of the genomic data, and that is still quite a challenge.”

The study was published in Nature Biotechnology.

Click to comment
To Top

Hi - We Would Love To Keep In Touch

If you liked this article then please consider joing our mailing list to receive the latest news, updates and opportunities from our team.

We don't want an impostor using your email address so please look for an email from us and click the link to confirm your email address.