New hardware powers through DNA tests in under 3 minutes

DNA testing often utilized the Polymerase Chain Reaction which can amplify DNA sequences out of various mixtures. This process can amplify these sequences with a beginning sample as small as a single molecule. Recently, this process took a few hours which may be too slow for some uses such as diagnosing infectious agents. Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, have developed a method to reduce the amount of time needed for a Polymerase Chain Reaction to a few minutes, even less than three at its highest speed, much faster than the few hours that the reaction normally takes.



The Polymerase Chain Reaction is cyclical in nature and closely related to temperature. When exposed to high temperatures the DNA-copying reaction resets and when exposed to lower temperatures a new set of reactions can begin. The actual proteins catalyzing these reactions are very fast, but the heating and cooling of metal blocks by machines known as thermocyclers takes some time for each cycle. These researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory combatted this with their new device. This has two reservoirs of water with one kept at a high temperature and the other kept at a low temperature. When needed the water is pumped through a foamed copper block that is holding the sample, which lowers the heating and cooling times dramatically. There is some loss in efficiency with these faster speeds, but if the time is raised to a little under five minutes, from the fastest speed of two minutes and eighteen seconds, the efficiency can be improved. The results still need to be assayed, but the entire process may be able to be completed in about an hour.

I believe this could be very useful in a medical setting as results can be returned and treatment can begin much more quickly than ever before. This could help patients who have certain diseases where every second counts and improve their chances of becoming healthy.