The inventor of the DNA sequencing technique called the Southern blot, Professor Edwin Mellor Southern of Oxford University, has been awarded the 1989 IBM Europe Science and Technology Prize. His technique provides a means of identifying DNA fragments in the complex structure of DNA and enables genetic fingerprinting, identification of diseased genes such as those that cause muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and certain types of inherited cancer. There have also been major recent advances in pre-natal diagnostics and paternity testing. The gene mapping works by placing fragments of DNA, broken down by special enzymes, onto an A4 size piece of gel. A small electric current is then passed through and the resulting smear, visible under ultra-violet light, is photographed. A Southern blot is then made and is exposed to a radioactively labelled DNA probe, the result is then X-rayed and from this the results can be obtained. The ability to map genes simply and quickly has opened up new areas of research and it is hoped to find out how the how the defective genes actually cause diseases so that more effective treatment can be devised. Work is already underway with diseases such as arteriosclerosis and epilepsy and agricultural research is using the mapping technique to find ways of preventing and treating disease in plants. Now that there is a key with which to unlock the genetic code, applications appear to be endless. The prize is worth $117,000 and Professor Southern was selected by a 12-member committee made up of representatives from six European nations.
