Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Materials Research at Carnegie Mellon University
James W. Schneider
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
“Self-Assembled Materials for DNA Analysis”
Thursday, July 9, 2009
11:30-1:30 PM Seminar
Location: Scaife Hall 125
Refreshments will be served.
DNA analysis methods, to include DNA sequencing and quantification of gene expression, have been instrumental to our improved understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Marvelous devices have been developed to amplify the throughput of these methods, bringing modern biology tools to medical research. A current goal is to further decrease cost and increase throughput so that these tools can be applied to personalized care applications. This will require new materials that can be used in microscale DNA analysis devices.
We will present applications for self-assembled materials in this arena. Self-assembly is a spontaneous, dynamic process that transiently forms nanoscale structures of well defined shape and size. The dynamic nature of self-assembly can be leveraged to improve kinetics and yield of DNA hybridization processes normally performed on solid surfaces. Self-assembled materials can also be applied to DNA electrophoresis (of the type used in DNA sequencing), where DNA can be separated very quickly by replacing sieving polymers or gels. |
