The sequencing of the human genome has great potential to yield insights into the genetic basis of human diseases. Now, a tool has been developed that can unleash this potential on a disease that affects one out of 700 live births: Down syndrome.1 This tool is the Pan® Chromosome 21 Array, a DNA chip for human chromosome 21 that was developed by Ebersberg, Germany-based MWG-Biotech AG in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. By using this array to compare the expression pattern of genes on chromosome 21 from people with and without trisomy 21, researchers can elucidate the genetic basis of the more than 80 physical and mental disorders that accompany this syndrome.1
Each known chromosome 21 gene and predicted open reading frame (ORF), identified using MWG-Biotech's non-redundant proprietary database, is represented once in the array by a 40-nucleotide-long oligonucleotide. A total of 498...
Interested in reading more?
Become a Member of
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
