General Information
Frequently Asked Questions

	What is 3DNA™?
	How does 3DNA achieve this high performance?
	How can 3DNA benefit my research?
	What kind of signal enhancement can I expect?
	What applications are possible with 3DNA probes?

What is 3DNA™?

3DNA represent a new generation of hybridization probes for nucleic acid detection. They are a simple and flexible tool that can be used with non-radioactive or radioactive detection protocols. With 3DNA you can detect a single copy gene in 0.2 micrograms of human genomic DNA in Southern blots, detect low copy number mRNAs in Northern blots, and because specificity is determined by short oligonucleotide sequences, you can detect single base changes in mutations or polymorphisms.

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How does 3DNA achieve this high performance?

The basis for this unprecedented performance is 3DNA dendrimer technology. The highly branched 3DNA dendrimer is a scaffold decorated with hundreds of detection molecules (³²P, Biotin, or Digoxigenin) and with multiple target-specific oligonucleotide probes. As your oligonucleotide sequence hybridizes to the target sequence, hundreds of labels (³²P, biotin, or digoxigenin) are carried with it.

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How can 3DNA benefit my research?

3DNA delivers enhanced sensitivity, specificity and reliability. The 3DNA dendrimer amplifies the signal, not the target. Increase signal means that you can detect rare samples and/or get your results in less time. 3DNA probes use short, specific oligonucleotide sequences; as few as 18 bases will work. Further, you can develop your probe directly from published sequences without cloning or amplification.

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What kind of signal enhancement can I expect?

With 3DNA probes you can detect single copy genes in 0.2 ug of human genomic DNA. We have been able to detect a single copy gene in 0.04 ug (down to 12,000 molecules) by Southern blot. For Northern blot applications, you can expect to detect approximately 0.1 pg of mRNA target.

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What applications are possible with 3DNA probes?

3DNA probes provide precision and signal enhancement, which allow detection of single base changes for studying polymorphisms, for fine structure gene mapping, or to follow the expression of closely related genes.

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