The cool thing about DNAiTECH is that you do not need a specialized laboratory environment to operate this technology. Last week, DNAiTECH ran a training workshop for teachers in a community hall in Kohimarama, Auckland.
These were one-day workshops for teachers around the country, and each workshop consists of an introduction to the theory of isothermal DNA amplification, hands-on use of the DNAiTECH instrument, analysis of an unknown E.coli DNA sample and extraction and analysis of E. coli microorganisms from a local stream, river, or beach.
As councils grapple with implementing the Governments new freshwater policy and targets for swim ability, we as a nation must face the reality that our waterways in Aotearoa are not as clean as we would like to think they are, and the clean green mantra is often a fantasy. This map of the country’s waterways from the Ministry for the Environment shows vividly that in the areas of most intense population and intensive farming, our waterway quality is often in the zone of fair to poor.
DNAiTECH empowers students to determine the levels of E. coli and toxic cyanobacteria in their community waterways. There is no better way to engage students with science and technology than to give them the tools to test real-world samples. Let them be part of the collective social conscience, reminding us when we care for the land, we care for its people.
DNAiTECH combines android smartphone technology with a simple Bluetooth connected handheld instrument that uses isothermal DNA amplification chemistry. Popular isothermal methods include loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), rolling circle amplification (RPA), recombinase polymerase amplification (RCA), helicase dependent amplification (HDA). Avoiding expensive on-board optical systems and thermocycling DNA amplification, DNAiTECH makes DNA technologies affordable for secondary education so that cool experiments can be done to complement the teaching of NCEA 2/3 science, molecular biology, environmental studies, and technology. The instrument is robust and lightweight. The smartphone captures many images during the DNA amplification process and the App processes the Evergreen dye incorporation into DNA product in real-time. For more technical information on how the DNAiTECH works to measure DNA concentration go to our in-field testing page. DNAiTECH is a versatile in-field instrument for education and the science community. It is lightweight, portable, and can be battery-powered, making it perfect for that immediate rapid result in the field. Real-time quantitative DNA amplification is yours for a fraction of the cost of current DNA reading technologies. We support teachers by running regional workshops as well as selling instrumentation and classroom science kits and easy to use tests for specific environmental assays.
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