Dan Distel’s lab at the Ocean Genome Legacy Center has recently made a major breakthrough in DNA preservation. This breakthrough holds the potential to vastly improve our understanding of genetic material. This team of dedicated researchers, many of them undergraduates, have produced impressive results. Thawing biological samples in EDTA, a common food additive, results in high-quality genomic DNA recovery. This finding is another major step forward for biological research, especially for very specific specimens that need to be stored and analyzed for decades.
According to recent research published in the journal PLOS One, that’s just how effective EDTA is as a preservative. It notably prevents the degradation of DNA during the extraction process, particularly from frozen tissues. Scientific literature demonstrates that the use of EDTA dramatically improves the quality of DNA extracted from biological samples. This thus makes it a more environmentally-friendly option than common techniques such as ethanol immersion.
The Role of EDTA in DNA Preservation
It works because EDTA tightly binds to all kinds of ions in solution. This binding is essential for the activity of DNases, the enzymes that degrade DNA present in nearly all tissues. By sequestering these ions, EDTA stops the enzymes from digesting the DNA during extraction.
“It grabs those ions out of solution and binds them really tightly so the enzymes can’t break down the DNA.”
The lab’s research discovered that when biological samples were thawed without EDTA the damage during extraction was very destructive. This led the team to realize that the original samples were intact. Rather, the thawing process was where degradation took place. Distel noted: “That is when we realized that the original samples were fine. The damage wasn’t happening in the field, but rather during DNA extraction. When EDTA was there, it protected the DNA.
Collaboration with Undergraduate Students
The imaginative benefits of EDTA were not found by scholarly scientists in the Old World by themselves. Undergraduate co-op students such as Molly Johnson, Hannah Appiah-Madson, and Rosie Falco Poulin were instrumental in this exciting find! Their participation illustrates the critical need to create pathways for students to engage in research while in college.
Distel emphasized the educational value of this research. He noted that “undergraduate students are the first authors on all three papers” related to this discovery, showcasing their pivotal role in advancing scientific knowledge.
Advantages of OGL Fix
Now, spawn of EDTA has been rebranded as “OGL Fix” by Distel’s lab and secured under a patent. Samples can be quickly gathered by researchers with the new preservative shipped with the sampling kits. They can ship the samples for analysis without the need of refrigeration.
OGL Fix truly is a magical device, for the visitors and researchers alike. It’s assisting them in addressing their biggest challenges, such as keeping a cold chain from points of collection to laboratories. Distel pointed out: “Maintaining a cold chain from a remote field collection site to a freezer at Northeastern—that’s a pretty difficult task and very expensive to do.”
Freezing it at ultra-cold temperatures has been considered the gold standard for DNA preservation for decades. Thanks to OGL Fix, a better alternative is finally to hand. Distel elaborated on its advantages: “EDTA is safer and more effective than ethanol, and much more convenient than working with frozen tissues.”