Role for collagen in gene functionality

A fast and efficient new way to analyse gene functions has been developed in Japan jointly by the National Cancer Center Research Institute, Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals and Koken, maker of collagen and medical instruments. Collagen is a type of fibrous protein that living cells uptake readily. The new technique exploits this feature to introduce genes into cells to determine how those genes function.

In the new procedure, collagen is mixed with the selected gene and the mixture placed at the bottom of wells in a 96-well plate. Cancer or other cells are then added to the wells and cultured. When the cells take-up the collagen they also include the gene. Analysing which proteins are made by the cells provides a way of determining the function of the gene. The plates can be used to study 96 genes simultaneously, and can be stored at room temperature, which may allow mass production of the plates for commercial marketing.