Bionano Genomics Announces Publication of New Approach to Study DNA Replication Using Optical Genome Mapping With Saphyr, Potentially Supporting Development of Cancer Drugs Targeting Replication Pathways
The body of humans and other organisms develop and grow when cells divide, and for each division the entire genome needs to be replicated. Mistakes in DNA replication can lead to genome instability and mutations that drive cancer. Because cancer cells divide excessively, many chemotherapeutic drugs target and disrupt DNA replication. A better understanding of these mechanisms could help develop new cancer drugs with reduced side effects.
The study of DNA replication in human cells has been difficult because existing technologies don’t allow for a thorough investigation of this extremely complex process in human cells. For that reason, replication studies using single molecule technologies such as nanopore sequencing have typically been limited to yeast cells because the sequencing throughput does not allow the genomewide analysis of human cells. The largest replication study to date analyzed no more than the equivalent of a single fiber for each part of the human genome. In this study, the optical replication mapping with Saphyr was able to collect more than 2,500 fibers for each part of the genome, or 27 million fibers total with an average length that’s 10 times larger than previous studies using long-read sequencing. The authors stated that the Saphyr-based method can become “a central technique for studying DNA replication, DNA repair and genome instability.”
The publication is available at https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.24.263459v3
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Bionano is a genome analysis company providing tools and services based on its Saphyr system to scientists and clinicians conducting genetic research and patient testing, and providing diagnostic testing for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disabilities through its
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Source: Bionano Genomics