{"id":31780,"date":"2025-11-24T15:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T15:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=31780"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T15:02:17","slug":"new-sensor-enables-real-time-observation-of-dna-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-sensor-enables-real-time-observation-of-dna-repair\/","title":{"rendered":"New Sensor Enables Real-Time Observation of DNA Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Utrecht University researchers have unveiled a new fluorescent sensor that enables real-time observation of DNA repair processes within living cells, offering promising advancements in cancer research, drug development and understanding aging.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have developed an innovative fluorescent sensor that allows scientists to observe DNA repair processes in real time within living cells. This groundbreaking technology, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-025-65706-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Nature Communications, holds the potential to significantly advance cancer research, drug safety testing and studies of aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ordinarily, DNA within cells is constantly damaged by various factors such as sunlight, chemicals and radiation. Cells usually repair this damage efficiently, but failures in these repair mechanisms can lead to aging, cancer and other diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until now, researchers have struggled to observe these repair processes in living cells, often relying on methods that involved killing and fixing cells, providing only static snapshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new sensor from Utrecht University marks a significant shift. It enables continuous observation of DNA damage and repair in both living cells and organisms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur sensor is different,\u201d lead researcher Tuncay Baubec, a professor and chair of genome biology &amp; epigenetics at Utrecht University, said in a news release. \u201cIt\u2019s built from parts taken from a natural protein that the cell already uses. It goes on and off the damage site by itself, so what we see is the genuine behaviour of the cell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sensor operates by attaching a fluorescent tag to a domain derived from a protein used by the cell, which briefly binds to a marker on damaged DNA. This interaction is both gentle and reversible, illuminating the damage without hindering the cell&#8217;s repair process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard Cardoso Da Silva, the biologist who engineered and tested the tool, highlighted a breakthrough moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was testing some drugs and saw the sensor lighting up exactly where commercial antibodies did,\u201d he said in the news release. \u201cThat was the moment I thought: this is going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The implications of this advancement are profound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previously, researchers needed to conduct numerous separate experiments to capture different time points of DNA repair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, they can observe the entire repair process in a single continuous sequence, providing a higher resolution and a more realistic picture of cellular behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research team didn&#8217;t stop at cell cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collaborators at Utrecht University tested the sensor in <em>C. elegans<\/em>, a commonly used model organism. The sensor effectively revealed programmed DNA breaks during the worm&#8217;s development, demonstrating the tool&#8217;s applicability beyond lab cell cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt showed that the tool is not only for cells in the lab. It can be used as well in real living organisms,\u201d added Baubec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking forward, this sensor opens up numerous avenues for further research. It can be attached to other molecular components enabling the mapping of DNA damage across the genome and identifying the proteins that congregate around damaged sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Depending on your creativity and your question, you can use this tool in many ways,&#8221; Cardoso Da Silva added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the sensor is not a direct medical treatment, it has the potential to revolutionize medical research. It could make DNA damage assessment cheaper, faster and more accurate in early drug development and cancer therapy research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now, clinical researchers often use antibodies to assess this,\u201d added Baubec. \u201cOur tool could make these tests cheaper, faster and more accurate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Utrecht University team has made this pioneering tool available to the broader scientific community, encouraging researchers to utilize the sensor in their own studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll information is available online. Scientists can use it immediately,\u201d Baubec added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uu.nl\/en\/news\/new-sensor-lets-researchers-watch-dna-repair-in-real-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Utrecht University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have developed an innovative fluorescent sensor that allows scientists to observe DNA repair processes in real time within living cells. This groundbreaking technology, published in the journal Nature Communications, holds the potential to significantly advance cancer research, drug safety testing and studies of aging. Ordinarily, DNA within cells [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[344],"class_list":["post-31780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-utrecht-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have developed an innovative fluorescent sensor that allows scientists to observe DNA repair processes in real time within living cells. This groundbreaking technology, published in the journal Nature Communications, holds the potential to significantly advance cancer research, drug safety testing and studies of aging. Ordinarily, DNA within cells&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31780"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31801,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31780\/revisions\/31801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}