graphene nanoribbon tagged posts

This is the NIST concept for DNA sequencing through a graphene nanopore. Credit: Smolyanitsky/NIST

Researchers at NIST have simulated a new concept for rapid, accurate gene sequencing by pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene and detecting changes in electrical current. The method could identify about 66 billion bases/s with 90% accuracy and no false +ves. If demonstrated experimentally, the NIST method might ultimately be faster and cheaper than conventional DNA sequencing, meeting a critical need for applications such as forensics.

Conventional sequencing, developed in the 1970s, involves separating, copying, labeling and reassembling pieces of DNA to read the genetic information...