Hot prospect for new gene amplifier

Journal Article · Fri Nov 29 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5604765

Molecular biologist Francis Barany is investigating one of the hottest areas in biotechnology: a gene-amplification technique called ligase chain reaction, or LCR. Already scientists have used LCR to detect the tiny mutation that causes sickle cell anemia and have adapted it to screen for a handful of other genetic diseases simultaneously - in a single test-tube. Some experts, in fact, are predicting that LCR will supplement the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and in some cases even supplant it. LCR could revolutionize DNA diagnostics just as PCR transformed basic molecular biology following its introduction 6 years ago. With its ease of automation and ability to produce useful quantitative results, LCR could become a major player in the rapidly growing market for DNA diagnostics. LCR, like PCR, uses snippets of nucleic acid, or oligonucleotides, that anneal to a specific, complementary sequence on the target DNA to be amplified. But where PCR uses oligos that bracket the stretch to be amplified, LCR uses pairs of oligos that completely cover the target sequence.

• OSTI ID: 5604765
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 254:5036; ISSN SCIEA; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOTECHNOLOGY
DNA
DNA SEQUENCING
ENZYMES
GENE AMPLIFICATION
LIGASES
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
NUCLEIC ACIDS
OLIGONUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION