Direct detection of DNA methylation during single-molecule, real-time sequencing

Direct detection of DNA methylation during single-molecule, real-time sequencing.

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Here's a paper based on a new DNA sequencing technology: single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT). Briefly, single-molecule sequencing (SMS) tries to observe DNA one molecule at a time without the need for (biased) amplification like PCR. Technologies exist like Helicos. Real-time sequencing tries to observe the single DNA molecule in "real-time", observing kinetic information of the polymerase/enzyme used to incorporate nucleotides. What does this mean? This new "real-time" technology can answer questions about polymerase kinetics which correlate well with properties of the DNA like methylation.

This type of data certainly opens up a new area of Bioinformatics, but is also already being patented (see http://www.wipo.int with publication number "WO/2010/059235"). I'll let you read the brief description of the Bioinformatics used in this paper and the lengthy patent application.