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Team:BostonU/Characterization
From 2012.igem.org
Characterization
Much of the synthetic biology community builds novel genetic constructs from novel DNA parts. The qualitative function of many commonly used parts is well known, but the quantitative behavior of most parts is not well known or documented. There have been recent pushes in the community to develop a standard for quantitative characterization of DNA parts, but there still exists no standard for doing so. The part characterization problem is multi-dimensional - for one, it is rarely possible to have a single DNA part carry out an observable function without the assistance of other parts. Additionally, it is not widely agreed how to acquire measurements and what conditions are best for characterizing function. There is a need to develop such a methodological standard so that DNA part information can be understood and applied by multiple groups.
Flow cytometry is a technology for recording single-cell measurements of fluorescence. These measurements are taken by passing cells one-at-a-time through the path of a laser and recording the refracted light at with a series of band-pass filters. This allows multiple fluorophores to be measured simultaneously at a single-cell resolution. A more detailed description of the technology can be found on the BD Biosciences website
