An efficient method to detect polymorphism

Researchers Rafael B. León Cachón, María Guadalupe Moreno Treviño, and Denis Aideé Martínez Treviño developed a method to detect GSTM3 A/B polymorphism in Human DNA samples in 2017. Polymorphism is related to the metabolism of drugs and carcinogens; therefore, it is associated with cancer.

Currently, polymorphism detection is carried out mostly through PCR-nucleotide sequencing and RFLPs. However, this requires long processes that can be costly. This innovation consists of designing TaqMan probes specific to the genetic variants and using another method called PCR in real time.

This method is faster than either of the aforementioned methods. It is more economical than the former, with lower risk of sample contamination and a lot more sensitive than either of the foregoing, that is to say, a smaller amount of DNA is needed to carry out the test. With this method, up to 93 samples can be analyzed simultaneously in two hours, with high specificity and sensitivity, which allows it to be used for population-based studies at a lower cost in terms of time and money.