Locate a lab for PCR and Gel work - (Feb/14/2007 )

Hi i would be so very grateful if anyone can help me

I am an artist based in london and for an exhibition on science and sciart i propose to invite my audience to partake in dna art.

what i aim to do is take swabs, and have these developed into a woven and metal work of art comprising of a collection of individual dna , inspired by the gel images with the banding. [sorry i know this is a very simple way of putting it..]

my problem is.. i have asked a few labs..they have no idea what i want..

i have had links to other dna art companies who print on canvas from a gel..they have quoted me approx 300 pounds for each person.. even if i dont want the print on canavs..

ok this is what i need and i would be so so grateful if anyone can help me word it right and give me info on companies or labs who can do this for me.. i have been searching in my non science background way for 2 weeks now with multiple failures..

here goes

i wish to take a swab

have the persons dna [with thier permission] developed on a gel so i can get a gel image. i would like as many bands as possible.

i would like each to be unique...as in a unique dna image for each.. i did ask one company who laughed at me on the phone as told me only a tiny bit of dna is unique so they then hung up. [

my aim is to weave this code with metal .. i would need approx 40 samples or 40 different people..

please help

Hi gerrymerry,

I think that your idea could be working if an enzyme cutting the DNA into a lot of small little pieces is used first. We call it Restriction length polymorphism. This technique has been widely used to test paternity, but to my knowledge, has been replaced during the last years. But maybe you have luck when asking a lab (potentially academic) that offers paternity tests? Or contact a molecular biology lab at a university near you (we did something like that in a seminar on biochemistry as medical students).

But we all want to see the results! At least as a link to the newspaper reporting about your exhibition

Best wishes,

Krümelmonster

Hi gerrymerry,



But we all want to see the results! At least as a link to the newspaper reporting about your exhibition

Best wishes,

Krümelmonster