DNA Sequencing - Efficient and Economical

A rapid, low cost DNA sequencing, through recognition of the basic chemical units is possible through a new technique developed by scientists. 
Stuart Lindsay, of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, said that his technique for reading the DNA code relies on a fundamental property of matter known as quantum tunnelling, which operates at the subatomic scale, reports Nature.According to quantum theory, an electron has some probability of moving from one side of a barrier to the other, regardless of the height or width of such a barrier.
Remarkably, an electron can accomplish this feat, even when the potential energy of the barrier exceeds the kinetic energy of the particle. Such behavior is known as quantum tunneling, and the flow of electrons is a tunneling current.
The current study has shown that single bases inside a DNA chain can indeed be read with tunnelling, without interference from neighboring bases. Each base generates a distinct electronic signal, current spikes of a particular size and frequency that serve to identify each base.
Surprisingly, the technique even recognizes a small chemical change that nature sometimes uses to fine-tune the expression of genes, the so-called "epigenetic" code.
Source:MedIndia