StudiesDNA Purification The process of purifying DNA has greatly improved since the days of messy cesium chloride gradients and tedious phenol chloroform extractions. Timesaving discoveries such as anion exchange and silica-based columns have decreased the need for long centrifugations and the need to work with harmful substances. The Science Advisory Board therefore conducted an in-depth examination of over 1,000 scientists who utilize DNA purification kits in their research to assess these improvements. The researchers were questioned regarding the products and techniques that they most commonly use and the product attributes and suppliers with which they are most satisfied. Over the past decade or so, laboratories have become very receptive to utilizing commercial kits to purify DNA. Of The Science Advisory Board members who participated in this study, 92% of those surveyed use commercial kits for DNA purification. This purification typically involves both plasmid and genomic DNA. Of the respondents who do not use kits, 17% cite cost as the primary reason for not using them to purify their DNA. In regards to the source of their genomic DNA, academic researchers are most likely to use animal tissue whereas industrial scientists are most likely to use bacteria. However regardless of where it came from, the genomic DNA purified by these researchers is most typically utilized for PCR assays. In contrast, purified plasmid DNA is generally employed for cloning experiments. Overall, study participants are quite content with their DNA purification kits. They report being most satisfied with ease-of-use, safety and quality of final DNA. “I believe that DNA kit manufacturers have done an excellent job identifying product attributes that are important to scientists and delivering outstanding performance in those areas,” claims Tamara Zemlo, Ph.D., MPH, Director of Scientific & Medical Communications for The Science Advisory Board. This high level of satisfaction translates into scientists developing long-term associations with specific kits. In fact, only 6% of researchers have switched their primary supplier of DNA purification kits within the last six months. Nevertheless, Science Advisory Board members expressed a degree of disappointment with the yield from their kits despite the lower-yield requirements of today’s downstream DNA analysis techniques. Study participants were also asked to consider that given the ease by which genomic DNA can be extracted and stored and the increasing understanding of the human genome, what role they envisioned the "banking of family DNA" to play in redefining modern medicine. Many researchers expressed the sentiment that DNA banking offers great hope for enabling physicians to more effectively diagnose and treat familial diseases: “A "DNA bank" is a facility that stores DNA for future analyses. DNA banking is a service that is gaining popularity and can prove to be more and more useful as advancements in genetic testing occur. DNA can provide families with a genetic history of inherited diseases and other genetic related issues. Family DNA will provide a complete genetic profile for diseases. New DNA analyses that are being applied to advanced diagnostic methods, can take advantage of banked DNA. Banked family DNA can be of essential value, especially in situations where there is a concern about hereditary transmission of a disease. DNA banking is the first step to enable diagnostic evaluations and assessments so that the best preventative intervention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases can be achieved. When a genetic disease, e.g. colon or breast cancer, is suspected of being transmitted in a family, the availability of DNA from affected family members is of paramount importance because it serves as reference DNA. Banking of family DNA will play a pivotal role in this new era of modern medicine. Simply, the availability of banked DNA will allow the physician to move from diagnosis and prognosis to prediction and prevention.” -North America, Laboratory Technician However, other researchers expressed skepticism or at least reserve about the health preserving and life sustaining benefits of banked family DNA. Some of these individuals however, did find some merit in the practice, albeit in a science fiction-type of interpretation: “Banking of family DNA may provide an excellent method to preserve family history and to recreate "historical features" (like a great looking nose or that familiar famous face) in a future offspring. This of course may be possible in a couple of hundred years when we finally understand the intricacies of the sequence code. But for that, human disease conditions involving the genetic material would, in most probability, be treated on a case-by-case basis. The vast knowledge being gained from the genomic revolution points to the fact that genetic abnormalities leading to a disease always involve the usual suspects (abnormal genes), which may differ in number and variability from individual to individual, family to family, but still its always the usual suspects. Therefore, even though therapeutic interventions may be individualized, its usually the same target genes we are going after. In this circumstance, delving into the family genetic database may do little good. When we have tools that are powerful enough to catch and understand genetic defects in a person, that itself would be necessary information to plan and execute a therapeutic intervention. One may argue that knowing a family's genetic abnormalities might provide important information about disease occurrence or progression in an individual or in a future offspring. Sure, but the same can be achieved by genetic analysis of the individual himself or the parents of a future offspring. Why pull out all the dirt on the forefathers' genomes or from when the individual was 4 years old or 12 years old? How is that going to help? But then, if one wants a chiseled nose, like that of one of his great grandparent, why not, just wait for warp technology.” -North America, Post Doctoral Fellow And of course, there is the neutral position: “As I am Swiss, things being banked should be kept secret—so there's no sense in banking family DNA.” -Europe, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator ### Would you like to find out your colleagues’ views on human DNA banking? Please click here to read their comments. Please click here to read additional insights into DNA purification by members of The Science Advisory Board [ View Current & Future Studies ] [ View Past Studies ] |
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