Helicase-dependent amplification
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Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA) is a method for in vitro DNA amplification like the polymerase chain reaction.
The disadvantage of PCR is that it consumes a lot of time with uncoiling the double-stranded DNA with heat into single strands (a proces called denaturation) and copying the single strands to create new double-stranded DNA (synthesis). Instead of these thermocycles, HDA mimics nature’s method of replicating DNA by using helicase (an enzyme) to denature the DNA at a constant temperature of 37°C.
The advantages of HDA over PCR are increased speed, reduced costs and the prospect of creating a hand-held DNA diagnostic device. The disadvantage is that HDA still requires a relatively big amount of DNA, so it presumably will not be used in cases where high precision is needed.
References
- Helicase-dependent isothermal DNA amplification (http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/embor/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/7400200.html&dynoptions=doi1089479277)Myriam Vincent, Yan Xu & Huimin Kong EMBO reports AOP
doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400200 Published online: 9 July 2004
- New Scientist article (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996132)
- press release (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/505967/)