Research Project
3100685
A multidisciplinary research consortium has been organized to develop technology and applications for oligonucleotide arrays in genome analysis. Developmental Grant funds are sought to support an integrated research program in chemistry, engineering, computer science and genome applications and to establish an outreach program that will bring about widespread availability of the oligonucleotide array technology and foster cooperation among research groups involved in the emerging field of genosensors. A major objective of DNA array technology is to rapidly acquire a large amount of sequence information through hybridization of a sample DNA to a two-dimensional array of oligonucleotide probes linked to the surface at one end. The expected outcome of parallel reading of oligonucleotide "words" is increased speed and decreased cost of genome mapping and sequencing. Important technical issues regarding the use of oligonucleotide arrays for sequence detection will be addressed, including (i) end-attachment of DNA to surfaces, (ii) sample preparation, (iii) hybridization conditions, and (iv) detection methods. The research proposed in this P20 application aims to create near term uses of DNA arrays for genome mapping and to enhance the feasibility of long term applications of "DNA chips" in total sequence determination. The Developmental Project aims to create the technology base and organizational framework for a future P41 Resource Center serving the genome research community.
