Speedier diagnosis using new genomic mapping technique

Canadian researchers have developed a technique for massive parallel genomic analysis of long DNA molecules which could offer speedier diagnosis of cancer and prenatal conditions. The technique – Convex Lens-Induced Confinement or CLIC – allows researchers to rapidly map large genomes while simultaneously clearly identifying specific gene sequences from single cells with single molecule resolution. “The idea is to stretch DNA and look at its structural features without breaking the strand,” Professor Sabrina Leslie of McGill University’s Physics Department told Laboratory News. “It’s like squeezing many soft spaghetti noodles into long narrow tubes without breaking them. Once these long strands of DNA are gently squeezed down into nanochannels from a nanoscale bath above, they become effectively rigid which means we can map positions along uniformly stretched strands of DNA, while holding them still.” “This means diagnostics can be performed quickly, one cell at a time, which is critical for diagnosing many prenatal conditions and the onset of cancer.” "Current practices of genomic analysis typically require tens of thousands of cells worth of genomic material to obtain the information we need, but this new approach works with single cells," says Dr Rob Sladek of the Génome Québec Innovation Centre. "CLIC will allow researchers to avoid having to spend time stitching together maps of entire genomes as we do under current techniques, and promises to make genomic analysis a much simpler and more efficient process." The technique could be used to detect missing or additional information in areas of the genome where prenatal conditions such as diploidy and trisomy arise. The advantage of the technique is that it is quick and only requires a small sample, and could enable researchers too see things they otherwise might not see. The work been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Convex lens-induced nanoscale templating