PNA technology for diagnosis of infectious and genetic diseases

2^nd World Congress on Biomarkers & Clinical Research

12-14 September 2011 Baltimore, USA

Irina Smolina

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Mol Biomark Diagn

Abstract :

W e have developed the robust DNA-targeted PNA-based assays which make it possible to detect DNA signature sequences within genomes avoiding global DNA denaturation. Although many natural proteins are capable of targeting duplex DNA (dsDNA) in a sequence- specifi c manner, our ability to design de novo proteins with desired sequence specifi city are very limited, at best. Th at is why the ability of Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) of sequence specifi c recognizing dsDNA has attracted considerable interest. Th e basic understanding of the process of dsDNA invasion by pyrimidine bis-PNAs and various applications of the phenomenon have been elucidated during the past two decades. As a result, novel approaches for detecting short (about 20-bp-long) signature sites on genomic DNA under non-denaturing isothermal condition within fi xed cells without nucleic acid extraction have been developed. In particular, a PD-loop-based method of pathogen detection has been developed in our laboratory, which makes it possible to distinguish not only diff erent bacterial species but also to discriminate drug sensitive versus drug resistant strains. Th e next step would be to extend the approach to human cells, which would open the way for even more promising applications. Some encouraging data in this direction will be presented. Featuring both high specifi city and high sensitivity as well as amenability to automation PNA-based DNA diagnostics thus being capable of expedient detection of DNA analytes directly in clinical specimens and environment. Progress in this direction may ultimately result in the numerous highly eff ectual unconventional medical and environmental diagnostic assays.

Biography :

Irina Smolina is the Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. She received her M.Sc from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia) and completed her Ph.D from Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (Russian Academy of Science, Moscow). She was a postdoctoral fellow at Boston University and at Harvard Medical School and has published more than 15 papers in reputed journals that span the range from fundamental human genome studies to applied diagnostic analysis, and from analytical chemistry to biotechnology research.