Tiny Bright Barcodes Help Researchers Identify DNA Molecules



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"The idea is that everything has its heart rate," said Shalin Shah, senior author of the article, who holds a PhD. Electrical and Computer Engineering student at Duke University. The technique developed by Shah, in collaboration with computer professor Duke John Reif and postdoctoral researcher Abhishek Dubey of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, would allow researchers to identify thousands of molecules to a cost well below that of other methods. Unlike stains or stains, time bar codes do not disappear over time.

When the researchers discovered the molecules they wanted to study, they changed the length or number of repeated sequences on one of their strands. When this wire collided with a wire in free suspension, previously colored with a fluorescent dye, it lit briefly. Each molecule was left with its own unique blinking pattern, which acted almost like a fingerprint or a barcode.

In an email to Engadget, Shah compared molecules to old black and white movies. "You want to give it color, that's what our time barcodes can do," said Shah.

Using computer simulations, the researchers discovered that they could distinguish up to 56 different molecules with their own flashing barcode. But if scientists opt for different colors of fluorescent dyes, they think that this number could reach thousands.

What's next for technology? Shah told Engadget that Duke researchers want to use artificial technology to develop their technology even further. Rather than dealing with the arduous task of manually identifying thousands of time barcodes, scientists want to understand how they can use artificial intelligence to differentiate them automatically. They also hope to apply their method using cellular or protein components.

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