Scientists are ready to develop the first DNA printer in Russia
Tomsk State University has initiated a consortium that is developing a printer for printing oligonucleotides - short sections of DNA. The section can be used to assemble already known genes with modifications or to create new sequences, depending on the problem. The first Russian DNA printer can lead to revolutionary changes in many sectors - medicine, pharmaceuticals, the chemical industry, and agriculture. The consortium includes TSU, the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine (ICBFM), and TUSUR.
- Genes bioprinting is the newest scientific area. The leadership belongs to the United States and China, - says Alexey Sazonov, advisor to TSU and project manager in biomedicine. - Unlike conventional, fairly widespread DNA synthesizers, there is a limited number of installations for high-performance printing of DNA fragments (oligonucleotides). These devices are not sold on the market, only the service can be purchased. So this invention opens up tremendous opportunities for solving the most complex problems of genetic technologies.
According to Alexey Sazonov, world scientists are now trying to print sections of DNA that are as long as possible but the complexity of chemical synthesis makes this process very expensive. The idea of Russian researchers is to print short fragments of a varied assortment. From them, as from the parts of a constructor, it will be possible to collect long DNA for various scientific and applied purposes.
Read more: https://en.tsu.ru/news/scientists-are-ready-to-develop-the-first-dna-printer-in-russia/
