New technology enables interpretation of human genome

​New York: Scientists have developed a new technology that enables them to read and interpret the human genome, opening the door to identifying new drug targets to treat many genetic diseases. The technology called Target Finder helps researchers connect mutations in the so-called genomic "dark matter" with the genes they affect, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets for genetic disorders.

"Most genetic mutations that are associated with disease occur in enhancers, making them an incredibly important area of study," said senior study author Katherine Pollard from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco.Scientists originally believed that enhancers mostly affect the gene nearest to them.

However, the new study revealed that, on a strand of DNA, enhancers can be millions of letters away from the gene they influence, skipping over the genes in between. When an enhancer is far away from the gene it affects, the two connect by forming a three-dimensional loop, like a bow on the genome.