“Single Atom Imaging of DNA Sequencing ‘…just look at the thing!'”
Andrew Bleloch, PhD, Head of Microscopy, Halcyon Molecular
All things are made of atoms (the most important info to pass on in case of a cataclysm of science death. Feynmann)
100,000 point mutations for some cancers
Need better than 99.9999% accuracy in gene sequencing
Heavy atoms for contrast agents for electron microscope
Halcyon developed a molecular threader
Drop a needle into solution containing DNA, and place it on a platform.
Right concentration of solution and right character of the needle.
Can place long strands of DNA on a substrate
Need glasses for the electron microscope (like looking through a wine glass)
STEM microscope and $500,000 component aberration corrector (2 times better).
Imaging a DNA strand directly.
Chemical labels with heavy metal ions
Those heavy metal ions an be imaged directly and can bind to specific sequences
Can be sensitive to the methylation. Sequence the genome first and then tag and record the methlation.
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.