Posted by:
LarryF
at Fri Jun 9 18:25:30 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by LarryF ]
>>If you're just worried about making more dna, that is incredibly easy. Assuming the DNA is small enough (ie, the strands are not too long) there's a commonly used technique called PCR. It simply starts with a small amount of DNA and makes more. We use this in our research lab to genotype the knockout mice that we use in experiments.
Sounds easy enough, and cheap in small quantities, but aren't you working in nanogram to maybe microgram quantities? How well does it scale, what would the costs be in multi-gram quantities? Is it THAT cheap? Most snake venoms sell for a few hundred dollars per gram or less.
The article suggests you would need a smaller quantity because it eliminates the unnecessary componets of the venom, but it doesn't say much about how much less... I guess it could be a really tiny amount if it's specific enough.
I wonder. If the DNA sample they use is specific enough that it induces production of antibodies but doesn't produce any toxic effects, then maybe it could be used in higher concentrations yielding more antibodies per unit of blood (I have no idea whether it works that way). Then you could reduce the number of animals used which would probably make more of a difference than just cutting out the actual venom.
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RE: GBR Journal: New antivenom - LarryF, Fri Jun 9 18:25:30 2006