The new method produces results very similar to conventional techniques, but with a lower cost and with a potentially higher resolution
part of an international collaboration, U.S. and Swiss researchers have developed mathematical and statistical tools for reconstruct virus populations, using pyrosequencing, a new technique for DNA sequencing. He reports the latest issue of the online open access journal "PLoS Computational Biology ".
Until recently it was known as the fruit of the pyrosequencing reads were short and often plagued by errors, and scientists have tried to improve it for a long time. Now the new process developed at the ' ETH Zurich has been shown to decrease the error rate and to provide information more quickly and efficiently.
The method was applied to four populations of HIV-1 obtained from patients resistant to the drugs, which were then compared with 165 sequences obtained directly by sequencing, for example by cloning from the same samples. "These new techniques produce results very similar to conventional techniques, but with a lower cost and with a potential resolution higher, "said Niko Beerenwinkel ETH, who participated in the studio.La knowledge of the genetic structure of virus populations is critical for continued biomedical research on disease progression and the design of vaccines and drug resistance. The ability to estimate the structure of virus populations holds great promise for a new and deeper understanding of viral evolution and disease control. Federico Cesareo
