A Breakthrough in DNA Sequencing Essay Example for Free

A Breakthrough in DNA Sequencing Essay The human genome can give a lot of information about a person. The genes can be used to trace a person’s family tree, clone an entire human being, and, more importantly, give information regarding certain diseases he or she may have. In this connection, according to an article published in the Science Daily, researchers from the Human Genome Sequencing Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and NimbleGen Systems, Inc. ave developed a new technique that combines gene chip technology with the latest gene sequencing machines that enables fast and accurate sequencing of selected parts of the genome. The technique uses microarrays to enhance the volume of specific genomic sequences and subsequently, a DNA sequencing machine determines the exact genetic code of the material. Furthermore, based on the article, the breakthrough is faster, more accurate, and more efficient than the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, which was is the technique usually used in DNA sequencing. In one experiment, the new technique was able to analyze 6,400 exons, which are the parts of the genetic code that contains the instructions in making proteins. In short, researchers or scientists can actually use the new technique to select a portion of the DNA that is suspected to cause a disease, remove the unwanted portions, and increase the selected genome’s volume using microarrays by three hundred times or more, giving results that are more accurate at a faster time. Personally, I think that this is a welcome development especially in hastening and improving the treatment of certain diseases such as cancer. Moreover, being a student taking up microbiology, I believe that the new technique could be highly useful in analyzing the genes of certain bacteria that have antibiotic resistance. This breakthrough could also provide crucial information as to how these genes of certain bacteria could mutate which is essential in finding a treatment for the disease these bacteria could cause.