NYIT Professor Discovers Next Generation Of DNA And RNA Microarrays

A novel invention developed
by a scientist from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) could
revolutionize biological and clinical research and may lead to treatments
for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and genetic and infectious
diseases.


Since the discovery of DNA, biologists have worked to unlock the
secrets of the human cell. Scientist Claude E. Gagna, Ph.D., an associate
professor at NYIT's School of Health Professions, Behavioral and Life
Sciences, discovered how to immobilize intact double-stranded (ds-),
multi-stranded or alternative DNA and RNA on one microarray. This
immobilization allows scientists to duplicate the environment of a cell,
and study, examine and experiment with human, bacterial and viral genes.
This invention provides the methodology to analyze more than 150,000
non-denatured genes.



"This patent represents a leap forward from conventional DNA
microarrays that use hybridization," says Gagna, a molecular
biologist-pathologist who performs research in the structure-function of
DNA in normal and diseased cells. "This will help pharmaceutical companies
produce new classes of drugs that target genes, with fewer side effects,"
he adds. "It will lower the cost and increase the speed of drug discovery,
saving millions of dollars."



The "Gagna/NYIT Multi-Stranded and Alternative DNA, RNA and Plasmid
Microarray," has been patented (#6,936,461) in the United States and is
pending in Europe and Asia. Gagna's discovery will help scientists
understand how transitions in DNA structure regulate gene expression (B-DNA
to Z-DNA), and how DNA-protein, and DNA-drug interactions regulate genes.
The breakthrough can aid in genetic screening, clinical diagnosis,
forensics, DNA synthesis-sequencing and biodefense.



In the near future, practical applications of the patent will include
enabling researchers to directly target and inhibit mutated genes and/or
proteins that are responsible for pathologies, making it easier to treat or
even cure disease. A discussion of the patent and two new applications --
known as transitional structural chemogenomics and transitional structural
chemoproteomics -- was published in the May 2006 issue of Medical
Hypotheses (67:1099-1114).



Additionally, Gagna has developed a novel surface that increases the
adherence of the DNA to the microarray so that any type of nucleic acid can
be anchored. Unlike conventional microarrays, which immobilize
single-stranded DNA, scientists will now be able to "secure intact,
non-denatured, unaltered ds-DNA, triplex-, quadruplex-, or pentaplex DNA
onto the microarray," says Gagna. "With this technology, one day we will
have tailor-made molecular medicine for patients."
















Invented in 1991, DNA microarrays have become one of the most powerful
research tools. Scientists are able to perform thousands of experiments
with incredible accuracy and speed. According to MarketResearch, by
2009, sales of DNA microarrays are projected to be more than $5.3 billion a
year.



Gagna, a resident of Palisades Park, N.J., performs research in his lab
at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of NYIT. He is an adjunct
assistant professor at the New Jersey Medical School: Department's of
Pathology and Medicine. Gagna earned a Doctor of Philosophy in anatomy and
biochemistry from New York University (NYU), Basic Medical Sciences. He
completed his postdoctoral work at NYU and at New Jersey Medical School,
researching DNA. Gagna received a Master of Science in anatomy from
Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Bachelor of Science in biology from
St. Peters College.



For more information about Gagna's patent, please visit
nyit/dnamicroarrays.



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