ENHANCED ON-LINE GEL ELECTROPHORESIS SYSTEM

AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENETIC INFORMATION ACHIEVED BY SEQUENCING DNA IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING RECENT ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMISTRY. GEL ELECTROPHORESIS IS THE MOST WIDELY USED METHOD TO ACHIEVE THIS IMPORTANT RESULT. TYPICALLY, THE SEPARATION OF THE DIFFERENT MOLECULAR-WEIGHT FRAGMENTS IN THE GEL REQUIRES SEVERAL HOURS, AND THE GEL IS THEN REMOVED FROM THE APPARATUS AND SUBSEQUENTLY ANALYZED TOREVEAL THE LOCATIONS OF THE MOLECULAR BANDS. WHEN RADIOISOTOPES ARE USED AS MARKERS, THE CURRENT METHOD OF ANALYSIS IS TO USE THE GEL TO EXPOSE FILM OVER 24 TO 48 HOURS. THIS IS LABOR INTENSIVE, TIME CONSUMING, AND SUBJECTTO ERROR. AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT WILL MEASURE THE ACTIVITY IN THE BANDS AS THE SEPARATION IS TAKING PLACE. THIS WILL ELIMINATE DELAYS AND PROVIDE QUANTITATIVE DATA IN A FORM THAT ALLOWS EASY COMPUTER ANALYSIS. TO MAKE SUCH SYSTEMS COMPETITIVE WITH THE CURRENT METHODS, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOP A HIGHLY EFFICIENT TECHNIQUE TO DETECT THE BETA EMITTERS THAT ARE MOST COMMONLY USED. IT ISPROPOSED TO DEVELOP A COMPLETELY NEW DETECTION SYSTEM THAT MAKES USE OF A SCINTILLATOR INCLUDED IN THE GEL FORMULATION.THIS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE SPEED AND EFFICIENCY OF DNA SEQUENCING AND WILL BE A GREAT HELP TO THE IMPORTANT WORK IN MANY FIELDS, INCLUDING THE STUDY OF GENETIC KIDNEY, UROLOGIC, AND HEMATOLOGIC DISEASES.