ScienceDaily (July 5, 2004) — A new method* developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for accurately measuring the concentration of artificial viruses in a solution may ultimately help doctors diagnose diseases like HIV and hepatitis C earlier.

These artificial viruses are commercial standards made from the same basic chemical components in RNA (the single stranded version of DNA needed for protein synthesis.) They are constructed to be nearly identical chemically to real viruses but are encased with a protein covering to prevent degradation. The standards are currently used in research laboratories to help check analysis methods for detecting specific types of RNA, but the product has not been approved for clinical use.

What's needed according to NIST researcher Susan Krueger is a standard, reliable way to measure the concentration of artificial RNA in solution. By knowing exactly how much of the "fake" virus is present in a patient sample, a lab can better detect any additional signal caused by real virus molecules. Traditional methods for measuring concentrations don't work well with the new product since the artificial viruses are not infectious.

Instead, NIST scientists measured the concentration of artificial RNA virus solutions using a beam of neutrons as probes. As neutrons pass through the test solution, they interact in very specific ways with particular atoms, providing scientists with detailed information on molecular weight and geometry. This information can be used to very accurately measure the amount of RNA in a given solution. Precise calibration of artificial RNA concentrations may, in turn, allow laboratories to reliably detect lower concentrations of real viruses at earlier stages of infection.

###

The NIST research was conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Md.

*The researchers presented their work at the second American Conference on Neutron Scattering, held June 6-10, in College Park, Md.

Related Stories

Self-assembled Viruses Efficiently Carry Genes And Drug Molecules Into Tumor Cells (June 2, 2008) — Korean researchers have made an artificial virus, which they have been able to use to transport both genes and drugs into the interior of cancer ...  > read more

Detecting Flu Viruses In Remote Areas Of The World (July 17, 2008) — Researchers are reporting an advance in the quest for a fast, sensitive test to detect flu viruses -- one that requires no refrigeration and can be used in remote areas of the world where new flu ...  > read more

New NIST Procedure Seeks Improved Diagnosis Of Fragile X Syndrome (May 14, 2002) — A robust protocol for measuring a specific class of genetic elements called "trinucleotide repeats" has been optimized at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help ...  > read more

NIST Chemists Define And Refine Properties Of Plastic Microsystems (Aug. 27, 2002) — There may well be a plastic biochip in your future, thanks in part to the National Institute of Standards and Technology ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Cleaning Infected Blood