CADIAC discovers new method for producing synthetic DNA
Covid-19 is just one example among many that shows the important role of synthetic DNA. DNA sequences such as phosphoramidites are necessary for the identification of diseases, but they are also very unstable, which is why the production of synthetic building blocks is essential. The Center of Excellence CADIAC at Aarhus University has developed a new method to produce these unstable building blocks needed for DNA production. The study has been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The DNRF’s CADIAC has published a new study in collaboration with another research group at Aarhus University in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The authors describe their new method for producing synthetic DNA. DNA sequences such as phosphoramidites are necessary building blocks when rebuilding DNA production, but unfortunately, they are also very unstable and easily destroyed. But with this new study, a research team from Aarhus University has succeeded in creating a method for developing synthetic DNA sequences.
“It has been a very rewarding collaboration, which is precisely one of the core values of iNANO. And I would also like to attribute to a large part of the credit for this project’s success to Alexander Sandahl. He established the collaboration and developed and realized a large part of the ideas for the project,” said Professor Kurt Gothelf from iNANO at Aarhus University, who is the last author on the study.
High demand
The new method comes from the high demand for the so-called oligonucleotides, which are the DNA sequences used for identifying diseases, including Covid-19. The chemical production of oligonucleotides also needs the unstable phosphoramidites, which the study has succeeded in creating synthetically.
Besides head of center and Professor Troels Skrydstrup from CADIAC, post-doc Martin B. Johansen was also a co-author on the study, on which they collaborated with Professor Gothelf’s research group.
Read more about the study at Aarhus University here
Read the scientific article at Nature Communications here