Chemistry Graduate Program
Department of Chemistry
Faculty Advisor: Lloyd Smith
Resume
My research involves creating DNA microarrays in which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be differentiated by the “surface invader” reaction. SNPs are the most common DNA differences among individuals, and there are approximately 3 million SNPs in the human genome. Our goal is to detect all of the SNPs of an individual, essentially mapping the genome. Another goal of my research is to detect the SNPs of a given gene (the different alleles of the gene) in a large number of individuals at once. Both of the projects require the ability to create millions of features on one DNA chip. Using a digital micromirror device, it has been shown that 786,000 different features can be placed on a single chip at the same time (Nuwaysir et al., Gen. Res. 12: 1749, 2002). These new microarrays will allow high throughput genotyping on a scale previously unseen. Combined with the surface invader reaction, it will be possible to genotype a whole person by SNP analysis or several hundred thousand people at one SNP location very quickly.
