"Mathematica lets you use constructs that are closer to the way researchers actually think about problems. It has been a tremendous aid in allowing us to try out new ideas, and saved us weeks of plodding through code in a traditional computer language."

Searching for Genes That Fit

Knowing what genes to look for and where to look for them is the first step in unlocking the mystery behind nearly 4,000 genetic diseases that elude us today, and the primary goal of the world-renowned Human Genome Project. But even once scientists know what to look for, the traditional processes used to find certain sequences are cumbersome. With the help of Mathematica, researchers at Perkin-Elmer's Applied Biosystems Division are about to change all that.

Their 7700 Sequence Detector is a brand-new instrument on the horizon that will allow genetic researchers to amplify and detect known gene sequences over a much wider dynamic range (six orders of magnitude versus two for traditional end-point techniques) than has ever before been possible. It will also enable them to assay the results much faster (in seconds rather than days) and easier than with previous methods.

Software group leader Ray Lefebvre credits Mathematica as being an invaluable aid in developing the instrument. "Built-in functions for matrix calculations and operations helped us develop multicomponent analysis techniques for analyzing fluorescent light spectra," Lefebvre says. Mathematica also served as a general computational reference, giving designers confidence that their calculations were correct.

"Mathematica is a work of genius. It was a big help in our prototyping efforts," reports Lefebvre. "We wouldn't have gotten the project done nearly as fast if we'd had to code everything in C or C++ from the beginning."

Key features of Mathematica used:

• Numeric
• Symbolic--matrix manipulation
• Graphic
• Programming
• Notebook