Using a Nanopore to Look for DNA Damage (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Using a Nanopore to Look for DNA Damage

Caption

This illustration shows a strand of DNA with nucleotide bases (A,T, G and C) attached, moving downward through a molecule-wide pore known as a "nanopore." The "X" marks the location of a missing base, a form of DNA damage that, if unrepaired, can lead to gene mutations and disease. By attaching a ring-shaped chemical to the damage site and placing a sodium ion inside the ring, movement of the DNA through the nanopore is slowed to the point that chemists can detect the DNA damage site. University of Utah chemists developed this new use of nanopore technology to detect DNA damage.

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University of Utah Marketing and Communications

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