Friday, 17th December 2004 (4802 views)

New developments by scientists have revealed that gold dust and DNA could help fight diseases and provide key clues for people's future wellbeing and health.

The gold is used to amplify the modules circulating in people's blood which provide the information on personal health, therefore helping to provide better information.

Developed by a professor and colleagues in Illinois the new system is more precise and can trace quantities of any kind of molecule, according to the Telegraph.

The test is part of the nanotechnology sector, since it relies on objects of one to 100 nanometres.

Nanoscopic particles of gold and DNA labels, called bio-barcodes, are used to test for the information and can find as few as 10 molecules in 50 millionths of a litre of blood, spinal fluid, saliva or urine.

According to Prof Chad Mirkin, director of Northwestern's Institute for Nanotechnology in Evanston, and his colleagues, the method is as sensitive as PCR but is much more flexible.

Already methods have been used to detect for breast and prostate cancer and the group are looking into developing tests for Alzheimers.

 

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