SEQUENCING DNA IN NANOFABRICATED ARRAYS

描述（改编自研究者摘要）：本研究方案 是基于这样一个前提，即DNA分析和测序是所有 基因组计划和大多数（如果不是全部的话）分子、细胞和 发育生物学调查人员指出， 成为现代医学和法医实践的重要组成部分， 在分析和功能基因组学将继续加速为 可预见的未来因此，需要新的和不同的方式来排序和 DNA分析早已被人们所认识。调查人员表示，目前 方法相对较慢，它们不是非常可移植的，并且它们通常 需要熟练的技术人员，通常集中在特殊单位内， 大学、医疗和工业环境。在该应用中， 提出了对测序速度、成本和便携性的解决方案。人工 用于浓缩、处理和分析小（nl）的SiO基器件 大量的测序反应，DNA分子的限制性内切酶， 描述了能够解析和分析染色体大小的DNA的装置。 中心思想是利用半导体工业的进步， 在一个小的（平方厘米）芯片上制造合成“凝胶”。的方法 利用纳米和微米尺度上的图案化和蚀刻的最新进展。 研究人员指出了这些设备的优点，例如速度 (less对于许多实施例，一分钟以上）、低成本（每个设备的复制品 可以用不到一美元），以及他们可以轻松地 设计为并行运行（多个通道）。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the investigator's abstract): This research proposal is based on the premise that DNA analysis and sequencing is at the heart of all genome projects and most, if not all, research in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. The investigators point out that this is also fast becoming a major part of modern medical and forensic practice, and such trends in analytical and functional genomics will continue to accelerate for the foreseeable future. Thus, the need for new and different ways to sequence and analyze DNA has long been recognized. The investigators state that current methodologies are relatively slow, they are not very portable, and they often require skilled technical staff, usually concentrated in special units within university, medical and industrial settings. In this application possible solutions to sequencing speed, cost, and portability are proposed. Artificial SiO-based devices in which to concentrate, handle, and analyze small (nl) volumes of sequencing reactions, restriction digests of DNA molecules, and devices capable of resolving and analyzing chromosome-sized DNA are described. The central idea is to exploit advances in the semiconductor industry to fabricate synthetic "gels" on a small (square centimeter) chip. The approach utilizes recent advances in patterning and etching on the nano and micro scale. The investigators point to advantages of the proposed devices, such as speed (less than a minute for many embodiments), low cost (replicas of each device can be made for less than one dollar), and the ease with which they can be designed to run in parallel (many channels).