Nanoparticles: Future of genomics

Recently, nanoparticles such as quantum dots or colloidal gold have become one of the anticipated nanotechnologies for genomics and proteomics. We challenged to utilize the nanoparticles for electrophoresis buffer. Utilizing the nanoballs, DNA fragments up to 15kbp were successfully analyzed within 100 seconds without observing any saturation in migration rates. For more practical application, we further developed a PEGylated-latex mixed polymer solution. A new designed buffer composed of 0.49wt% hydroxylpropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and 2.25wt% 80nm-PEGylated latex showed a higher separation efficiency for a wider range of dsDNA (10bp to 2kbp) than conventional polymer solutions. Nanoparticles will be anticipated for future genome analyses.