Chemical DNA synthesis technologies have become and essential tool in molecular biology from manufacturing DNA primers for PCR to creating genes that can be expressed into novel proteins. However, the high prevalence of synthesis errors is limiting its application on a broader scale.
To address this issue, our laboratory is developing innovative technologies that can purify error-free DNA in a low-cost and high-throughput manner. One of these technologies which we have named ‘Sniper Cloning’, enables the precise mapping of target DNA on NGS platforms and non-contact rapid retrieval of said targets. By merging the three cutting-edge technologies of NGS, DNA microarray and our pulse laser retrieval system, we have created an automated retrieval platform for sequence-verified DNA. It can serve as a universal tool for DNA writing in biological sciences and can drastically reduce the cost and labor required for obtaining sequence-verified DNA.
Another technology, named Multiplex oligonucleotide library purification by synthesis and selection (MOPSS), aims to sift out erroneous DNA strands in complex oligonucleotide pools based on their length. Because the majority of DNA synthesis errors can be attributed to base insertions or deletions, purification based on attached markers on DNA strands with the correct length could dramatically decrease the amount of incorrect DNA strands. The method could also be augmented to utilize NGS instruments to further facilitate its process.
New methods that broaden the scope of our DNA purification technologies, such as application towards long DNA, would help in initiating DNA writing projects which are currently insurmountable.
