‘DNA clamp’ technology may help screen for cancer

MONTREAL An international team of researchers has developed tiny technology that can spot genetic mutations at the DNA level before diseases such as cancer develop.

Scientists are calling this nanotechnology a DNA clamp and say it could revolutionize screening and treatment of cancer, and other diseases with a genetic basis.

The clamp is made from DNA and its made to bind with DNA. Its as small as it can get, said Alexis Valle-Blisle, a professor in the chemistry department at the Universit de Montral, and one of the developers behind the discovery.

Researchers believe that this innovative technology could one day help speed disease diagnosis and help tailor treatment. The next step in the research is to try the clamp in clinical settings using human DNA samples.

A big challenge in cancer therapy now is understanding cancer at molecular level, Valle-Blisle said.

The mutation is affecting which protein, and that protein is responsible for what regulatory function in the cell? We might have the specific drug for that protein, but if you dont know which mutation, you cannot efficiently treat the cancer.

Thats why we need to have these rapid diagnostic tests.

Published this month in the journal ACS Nano, researchers found that the DNA clamp performed more precisely and quickly than current genetic testing for mutations, developed in the 90s and called molecular beacons.

Like a clothing peg on a laundry line, DNA is the perfect tiny material for creating scaffolds or clamps that can hold other molecules in place, Valle-Blisle said.

The DNA clamp was designed to become fluorescent if it detects mutations that signal a high risk for cancer.

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‘DNA clamp’ technology may help screen for cancer