New Material Could Enhance Fast And Accurate DNA Sequencing

August 17, 2014

Image Caption: Illinois researchers found that the material molybdenum disulfide could be the most efficient yet found for DNA sequencing, making personalized medicine more accessible. Pictured, from left, are Amir Barati Farimani, Kyoungmin Min and professor Narayana Aluru. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

Liz Ahlberg, Physical Sciences Editor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Gene-based personalized medicine has many possibilities for diagnosis and targeted therapy, but one big bottleneck: the expensive and time-consuming DNA-sequencing process.

Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that nanopores in the material molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) could sequence DNA more accurately, quickly and inexpensively than anything yet available.

One of the big areas in science is to sequence the human genome for under $1,000, the genome-at-home, said Narayana Aluru, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the U. of I. who led the study. There is now a hunt to find the right material. Weve used MoS2 for other problems, and we thought, why dont we try it and see how it does for DNA sequencing?

As it turns out, MoS2 outperforms all other materials used for nanopore DNA sequencing even graphene.

A nanopore is a very tiny hole drilled through a thin sheet of material. The pore is just big enough for a DNA molecule to thread through. An electric current drives the DNA through the nanopore, and the fluctuations in the current as the DNA passes through the pore tell the sequence of the DNA, since each of the four letters of the DNA alphabet A, C, G and T are slightly different in shape and size.

Most materials used for nanopore DNA sequencing have a sizable flaw: They are too thick. Even a thin sheet of most materials spans multiple links of the DNA chain, making it impossible to accurately determine the exact DNA sequence.

Graphene has become a popular alternative, since it is a sheet made of a single layer of carbon atoms meaning only one base at a time goes through the nanopore. Unfortunately, graphene has its own set of problems, the biggest being that the DNA sticks to it. The DNA interacting with the graphene introduces a lot of noise that makes it hard to read the current, like a radio station marred by loud static.

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New Material Could Enhance Fast And Accurate DNA Sequencing