Accidental Invention Could Lead to Easier Methods of Screening Drugs and Toxins

Photo Submitted

Jack Freedland, left, and Yong Wang

Almost every cell in the bodies of humans and other living organisms contains DNA, which encodes genetic instructions.

Damage to DNA from toxins can have serious effects on health, while other chemicals can facilitate DNA stability and repair. Information on the interactions between DNA and other chemicals could help scientists develop new preventative measures and treatments for diseases such as cancer, but few existing techniques are sensitive enough to study these interactions, and the ones that are sensitive enough are very expensive.

Jack Freeland, a physics major and Honor College student, and Department of Physics assistant professor Yong Wang have developed a method to study the interactions between DNA and other chemicals more easily, using equipment and techniques readily available in most chemistry and biochemistry labs.

Read the full story in Research Frontiers.

The bending of DNA makes it more susceptible and sensitive to the presence of silver ions than DNA without bending. Experimental results showed that silver ions negatively affect the base-pair matching of DNA, resulting in dissociation of the bent DNA bows.