Nucleic acid-based testing approach

Nucleic acid-based approaches are both sensitive and specific, and have been fielded as part of demonstrations and tests. Nucleic acid approaches cannot detect purified biological toxins but may be able to identify associated residues from the organism. The time required to perform a nucleic acid test is decreasing, and for some instruments it is now less than 10 minutes. Instrument packaging is also being dramatically reduced currently, suitcase-sized systems can be purchased. A nucleic acid approach to medical diagnostics is also showing promise... 

No experimental results are available for the nucleic acids, with or without methyl substitution, to test the theories, but we can compare the results for thymine to three theoretical estimates based on the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation. The AM1-SM2 and PM3-SM3 values are —16.5 and -20.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Using charges and force field parameters from the AMBER,347 CHARMM, and OPLS molecular mechanics force fields and a solute dielectric constant of 1, Mohan et al.i calculated solvation energies of -19.1, -10.4, and -8.4 kcal/mol. The wide variation is disconcerting. In light of such wide variations with off-the-shelf parameters, the SMx approach based on parameters specifically adjusted to solvation energies appears to be more reliable. 

Preclinical Results and Clinical Applications. Both pDNA- and mRNA-based vaccinations were demonstrated to be efflcacious in animal models as prophylactic or therapeutic immunotherapies against tumors, infectious diseases, and allergy. Two pDNA-based vaccines are commercialized for veterinary use an anti-equine fever and an anti-infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) for farm-raised salmons. In humans, several formulations of nucleic acid vaccines are tested in clinical trials (see the actualized list of trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov). Although pDNA-based vaccine trials were reported in the context of antitumor, antivirus (HIV, influenza virus, HBV) and antiparasite Plasmodium falciparum) approaches, mRNA-based vaccines were up to now tested only as immunotherapies against cancer (review by Liu and Ulmer for pDNA [35] and Pascolo for mRNA [36]). 

The subsequent articles take up such matters as origins, genetic testing for risk, detection by nucleic-based acid methods, oncogene transcription factors, genetic approaches in the discovery of anticancer drags, environment and cancer, and chrano-prevention. 

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