DNA: Can it be collected from water, breath or footprints?

Geneticist Prof. Korkut Ulucan evaluated the discovery of scientists in the USA that DNA samples can be collected from water used for washing, breath mixed with air or even from the footprint on the beach, and Prof. Ulucan said that the development is excellent; however, it is important for what purpose it will be used. Ulucan noted that in order to obtain the desired level of healthy results from the DNA collected from the air, there should be DNA above a certain level in the collected sample. Prof. Ulucan also made his remarks regarding the concern of monitoring individuals or societies with DNA.

Research conducted by scientists in the USA made a breakthrough and revealed that the information about a person's DNA can now be identified from footprints left on the beach, from the air inhaled in a room, or from saliva-like waste left while swimming in the ocean. Prof. Korkut Ulucan from Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics evaluated the research conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Florida and published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution and its results.

"Tissue is needed to collect DNA"

According to a new discovery, Prof. Korkut Ulucan evaluated the studies that DNA samples can be collected from used water, breath mixed with air or footprints on the beach, and said that "It is a nice development, of course, but it depends on what purpose it will be used." Reminding that DNA samples can be obtained from all tissues where there are cells, Ulucan said that "Some cells do not have DNA or may not be of the quality we want. For example, the hair strand will be the cell in the root. An example from the tip of the hair strand does not work for us. We have intraoral epithelial cells in saliva. Blood is already a tissue that contains many cells. For example, I drank a sip of water, and my epithelial cells stuck to the glass. From there, you can collect those samples and access my DNA. As long as there is a tissue... DNA can be isolated from that tissue and collected.".

"Our cells are circulating in the air in our environment"

Ulucan mentioned that studies were carried out in 2007-2008 on the identification of the breath and said that "The technology at that time was much more expensive and made it possible for special transactions. We have cells in the environment that we are in, and cells that are found in saliva. We have discussed this a lot during Covid, as well. Our cells are circulating in the air. If we bring a vacuum air filter system here, these cells can be collected and analyzed very easily.".

"There was once a debate about whether there was DNA in the blood"

Stating that the question 'Is there DNA in human blood?' was discussed at the end of the 90s Ulucan said that "Currently, thanks to the DNA in the blood, we can collect information from pregnant women about chromosome analysis or possible diseases in the child. Maybe after a while, methods such as amniocentesis synthesis and cord synthesis will be a thing of the past. In the same way, when we were told about "identification from the breath," we would think, "Interesting, is DNA flying in the air?" I can no longer pretendly say, "It is nonsense that there is DNA in the air!” because we used to say 'can it be in the blood' and we see now from a fact that there is indeed. However, of course, it may not be big DNA, but maybe tiny DNA fragments.".

"The collected sample must have DNA above a certain level"

Prof. Korkut Ulucan noted that healthy results may not be obtained at the desired level from the DNA collected from the air, and stated that "This is a matter to be discussed a lot. For instance, there is the issue of collecting DNA from footprints on the beach. However, there will be not only human beings but also the DNA of many living things, perhaps organisms such as viruses and bacteria. There are methods that distinguish them well at the moment. However, there must be that DNA above a certain level to achieve a healthy result.".

Ulucan added that it would be possible to collect DNA from the air if the necessary instrument was found and said that "After that, it is the biological and molecular methods we did in the laboratory. With certain methods from the cells or the collected preparate, the cells can be broken down in some way and the DNA in them can be obtained. It is the routine things that are done everywhere.".

"Thanks to DNA, we can reduce or postpone the impact of a genetic disease"

Explaining why DNA is important, Ulucan said that "The main cause of some diseases is DNA. We use it a lot in the genetics clinic. Physicians send us samples to support their findings. We communicate the results of our analyzes to them. A lot of DNA data supports clinical data. Sometimes it gives very important information about genetic predispositions.".

Emphasizing that DNA is effective in identifying and preventing genetic diseases, Ulucan continued his remarks as follows "If a disease is inherited by genes, that disease may come sooner or later. However, we can reduce the impact of this, perhaps postpone it in a way that we do not encounter in the normal life span. As long as we take precautions. For example, I do all my analysis about myself. Early diagnosis is very important as you can imagine at the root of many diseases.".

"If we look at speculative situations, we cannot go a long way in science"

Prof. Korkut Ulucan pointed out that issues such as privacy violations, location tracking, data collection, genetic tracking of individuals or societies were opened to discussion with the new DNA collection method discovered, and said: "There are definitely situations that may cause trouble when going to a target. When a task is attempted, the advantages and disadvantages are written. If the advantage part is high, some disadvantages can be taken into consideration and at least it can be said that 'we were expecting, we will pass it off like this'. This is one such issue because we still do not have clear information. We know very little about metabolism. We used to say, 'OK, we have solved the genes,' and now there is something called epigenetics. We have seen that the speed at which genes work can change according to the conditions in which people are in. In two people with the same gene variation, the condition disorder caused by that gene can occur at different times. They have the same gene variation; however, their lifestyles are different. That is what epigenetics is investigating. So yes, this information is very important. Besides, of course, speculative things will happen, but if we look at these speculative situations, we cannot go a long way in science.".

Giving technology as an example to the concern of tracking individuals or societies with DNA, Ulucan completed his remarks as follows:

"Right now, thanks to the computer, the cell phone and the Internet, they are already watching me, they know where I am going, I do not need my DNA. However, can anything go against me about my genetic makeup? This can happen at any time. Not only with the genetic structure, but now artificial intelligence has come to a point where it can obtain a lot of data if it wants to. DNA is not needed at that stage, but of course DNA will give the clearest information. This is a huge breakthrough and a very big project.".

 

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)