Enzymatic dideoxy sequencing can be streamlined using algebraic coding strategies from communications theory. Using coding methods similar to those applied to telecommunications and digital electronics, the speed and efficiency of DNA sequencing can be substantially improved. One DNA template can be… More

Chlorella virus (Cvi) restriction nucleases are a large, untapped source of gene mapping tools that have considerable commercial potential. Unlike bacterial restriction endonucleases, which recognize 4 to 8 base pair (bp) DNA target sequences, Cvi endonucleases define unique 2 to 4 bp cleavage sites… More

A large number of RFLP variants in plant and animal diseases can be detected using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction endonuclease cleavage. However, the resolution of PCR fingerprinting techniques is limited by rather long (4 to 6 base pair) DNA sequence specificities of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Anthrax or Woolsorter's Disease is a zoonotic infection caused by Bacillus anthracis. During the peak of the 'anthrax letter scare of 2001', the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases was testing over 2000 samples per day. At the present time,… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of DNA is the most reliable method for the rapid detection of pathogens. The overall rate of the PCR process is determined by performance of both the thermocycler and the companion biochemistry used to enzymatically… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop an improved thermocycler for high speed PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) using a systems engineering approach, thereby improving the throughput of PCR by two orders of magnitude. The commercial application of this project… More