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Analytical Chemistry Comes to the Rescue: Solving the Human Genome and other Biological Mysteries with Capillary Electrophoresis

Analytical Chemistry Comes to the Rescue: Solving the Human Genome and other Biological Mysteries with Capillary Electrophoresis

Only a small amount of the human genome was sequenced between 1970 and 1990. Suddenly, in June 2000, all 3 million base pairs of the human genome were known, 5 years ahead of schedule and at a tiny fraction of the projected cost. Was it wizardry? Or technicians working serious overtime hours? Neither - an innovative team of analytic chemists was behind this acceleration. Their novel technique for separating and identifying DNA bases not only revolutionized the sequencing of DNA, but may eventually lead to "while-you-wait" disease diagnosis for throat and urinary infections, soil fertility profiling, and improved quality control measures for food supplements and antibiotics.

So Many Numbers - What Do You Do With The Data?

The genetic instructions for making you, a human being, are written in three billion DNA base pairs and tucked inside the nucleus of every cell in your body (except red blood cells). Of those three billion, only 2% are actually part of your roughly 35,000 genes. The remainder may hold your chromosomes' structure together, play unknown roles in regulating protein production, or simply take up space as "junk" DNA, the detritus of humankind's long evolution from earlier species.

The Viral Roots of Cancer

The Viral Roots of Cancer

When first confronted with the notion that viruses can cause cancer, many individuals react with suspicion. Traditionally, cancer is not thought of as an infectious disease; rather, it is presumed to be a result of a genetic predisposition to cancer, exposure to nuclear radiation or environmental toxins, or unhealthy eating and exercise habits. Most people are familiar with the widespread public health notices encouraging a healthy lifestyle as a method for substantially decreasing the likelihood that an individual will contract a serious illness such as cancer.