Researchers from the University
of Oxford are using a unique blend of virtual reality and innovative genetic
techniques to understand the causes of common diseases such as diabetes and anemia.
The team, working in collaboration with physicists from Universita’ di Napoli
and software developers and artists at Goldsmiths, University of London, are
using the state-of-the-art technology called CSynth, to investigate the 3D
structure of DNA. CSynth is designed to provide an engaging way to explore and
understand the complex structure of the genome in 3D, by integrating data from
genome sequencing, computer modeling and high powered microscopy.
The way in which DNA is arranged
in 3-D space has huge consequences for human health and disease. Subtle changes
in DNA folding impact on whether genes can be switched on or off at particular
times — dictating what a cell can do. It is this process that the team is
trying to get to the bottom of in the hunt for the causes of disease, and
potential new treatments. Scientists are now hoping to use virtual reality to
visualize the huge amounts of data they can generate in the laboratory. In
addition, using the VR mode in CSynth is helping to visualise these complex 3D
structures in a more intuitive way, which otherwise it would be impossible to
do.
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