Friday, 20th May 2005 (4848 views)

Scientists in the US have been using gold in an experiment to detect the mass of a single molecule of DNA.

Researchers at Cornell and Tel Aviv Universities have been engaged in a joint project to refine the capabilities of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), used in a range of specialist scientific applications, Scienceblog reports.

Mass detection is based on measurements of the frequency at which tiny particles vibrate.

The scientists were able to create arrays of tiny cantilever oscillators (between three and five microns long) on silicon chips, and they deposited tiny dots of gold onto the ends of each cantilever.

A solution of a strand of DNA mixed with a thiol, containing atoms of sulphur that bind to gold, was then passed over the cantilevers, causing some of the DNA to attach to the gold.

Applying energy from a laser then caused the cantilevers to oscillate, and by measuring shifts in frequency the scientists were able to determine not only the binding of DNA molecules but also the number of molecules attached to a single receptor - thus giving them the mass of a single molecule.

The technology could have wide-reaching implications for the medical and forensic sciences, the researchers have claimed.

Cornell professor Harold Craighead said the breakthrough could lead to the evolution of detectors for a variety of diseases, including HIV.

 

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