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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Detection of Rare Mutations in CtDNA Using Next Generation Sequencing
Published on: August 24, 2017
Detection of DNA oligonucleotides with base mutations by terahertz spectroscopy and microstructures
Mingjie Tang1, Mingkun Zhang1, Shihan Yan1
1Chongqing Key laboratory of Multi-Scale manufacturing Technology, Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China.
Abstract:
DNA oligonucleotides with a 5-base mutation at the 3'-terminus were investigated by terahertz (THz) spectroscopy in a marker-free manner. The four single-stranded oligonucleotides with 17nt have been detected with specificity on a microfluidic chip, and corroborated by spectral measurements with split-ring resonators. The number of hydrogen bonds formed between the oligonucleotide and its surrounding water molecules, deemed a key contribution to the THz absorption of biological solutions, was explored by molecular dynamics simulations to explain the experimental findings. Our work underlies the feasibility of THz spectroscopy combined with microstructures for marker-free detection of DNA, which may form the basis of a prospective diagnostic tool for studying genic mutation.
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