Novel DNA detection method

A team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame have demonstrated a novel DNA detection method called laser transmission spectroscopy (LTS). LTS rapidly determines the size, shape and number of nanoparticles in suspension. The researchers used LTS to detect species-specific DNA where the presence of one invasive species was differentiated from a closely related sister species, in this case Asian Carp in the Great Lakes region. The technique is highly sensitive and takes only a few seconds to genetically score a sample for species presence or absence. The researchers also feel that LTS technology will prove more rapid, practical and cost effective than current detection methods and could ultimately eliminate the need for polymerase chain reaction amplification. Although the current paper describes the use of LTS in invasive species detection, researchers believe that the technique could help detect human pathogens and genetic diseases such as cancer.