DNA Nanotechnology Clamping Down on Cancer-Causing Mutations

May 8, 2014

(Nanowerk) – An international research team has built molecular “clamps” out of DNA that offer a powerful new tool for identifying individuals with an increased risk of cancer. The clamp is capable of detecting genetic mutations, associated with cancer and other genetic diseases, with better specificity and affinity than more traditional techniques. The high affinity of the clamp for its target and the ability to add a fluorescent label that lights up when the clamp grabs the errant DNA sequence, make these new DNA clamp nanoswitches the state-of-the-art in highly-sensitive molecular diagnostics.