The Ramsey Research Laboratory
Continued from page 17
chips. With the addition of some novel surface modification A fourth segment of the Ramsey group is developing next gen-
techniques, these microdevices enable the first integrated and eration nucleic acid and protein assay tools for biological re-
rapid strategy for comprehensive characterization of biothera- search and clinical diagnostics. These assay tools allow nucleic
peutic materials. These approximately 150,000 Dalton geneti- acids and proteins to be quantified digitally using massively par-
cally engineered molecules are the most exciting drugs being allel arrays, 10,000s to millions, of polymerase chain reactions,
developed today and they present an extremely challenging PCR. A single nucleic acid molecule or single protein molecule
chemical analysis problem that has to be addressed to deliver in any one reaction can be detected, allowing the molecules to
a safe product to the consumer. These miniature high-perfor- be counted. The technology also allows many molecules in a
mance separations devices match up well with compact MS reaction well to be quantified using the well-known technique
solutions and have also become a commercial product through of quantitative PCR. Thus, the group members achieve great
908 Devices. detection limits with huge linear dynamic range, >10 8 . The sys-
tem also has the ability to monitor many different molecules
The Ramsey group has also been working on an unmet need simultaneously, multiplexing of 10s to 1000s. The group mem-
in the determination of genetic variation. Namely, the ability to bers believe that such a system will be useful in personalized
access long range genetic variations such as structural vari- and next generation medical care by allowing the rapid charac-
ants, SVs, that involve contiguous segments of the genome terization of many biomarkers in point-of-care settings. Mike is
that range from 50 bases to megabases in length. Next gen- currently working on making this his fourth spin-out company!
eration sequencing, NGS, has a very short view of the genome, Mike is a strong believer in the generation of intellectual prop-
approximately 100 bases, so it is blind to these long-range vari- erty as well as peer-reviewed publications. He and his group
ations. The researchers in the Ramsey group have been devel- members are inventors on over 120 issued patents with over
oping nanofluidic devices that characterize single large DNA 20 pending patents. “It is the generation of patent portfolios
molecules, 10,000 bases to whole chromosomes, that provide around our technologies that enable their translation as prod-
the long-range view needed to observe SVs. SVs are thought ucts to society and I view it as a return to the tax payers who
to make up a greater fraction of human genetic variation than support our research,” he says.
short range variants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms,
SNPs, and the former are believed to be relevant to human The Ramsey laboratory has been supported by nine different
diversity and disease susceptibility. Ramsey’s third company, NIH institutes, DARPA, DTRA, DOE, NASA, and others, while at
Genturi Inc., is working to advance this UNC developed technol- Carolina Chemistry.
ogy to enable rapid and low-cost access to long-range genetic
variation.
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