Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 10, 2004
China develops gene chip able to detect several hundred pathogenic organisms
Backed by National 863 Program, State Research Center for Bio-Tech Engineering and Beijing Jin Di Ke BioTech Institute have, after five years' research, established a Genome-Specific Probe Database for viruses already known to human beings and some other pathogenic organisms, and developed the high-density gene chip able to detect several hundred kinds of pathogenic organisms.
Backed by National 863 Program, State Research Center for Bio-Tech Engineering and Beijing Jin Di Ke BioTech Institute have, after five years' research, established a Genome-Specific Probe Database for viruses already known to human beings and some other pathogenic organisms, and developed the high-density gene chip able to detect several hundred kinds of pathogenic organisms.
Experts noted that the system can detect swiftly pathogenic organisms that are making troubles in human lives and identify quickly the unidentified viruses, thereby laying an important base for the pathogenic organism monitoring and control system to be established nationwide.
In the face of more and more pathogenic organisms and bacteria human beings fall short of effective means in detecting and controlling them. Presently common methods, nucleic acid amplification test and serum test as such are unable to examine several kinds of viruses at one time, thus unable to meet the requirements under the new situation.
Five years ago, efforts have been made by Chinese scientists to establish a system for the monitoring and control of pathogenic organisms. "The establishment of a complete database specific-virus test probe, including over 3,000 specific probes for over 300 kinds of viruses related to human diseases, can help detect over 300 kinds of pathogens at one time. The daily production of chips can reach 100 to 200", said Shu Yuelong, vice president of Beijing Jin Di Ke BioTech Institute.
Scientists have established a series of gene chips with different functions. They can be used to detect respiratory and intestinal viruses and pathogenic organisms in the air. They've also established a method for collecting the clinical specimens of respiratory viruses of efficiency five to ten times more than that over the original.