In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science

will defend her thesis

Host blind DNA probes/primers have been proposed as a highly unique molecular fingerprint to characterize target pathogens of interest.  Novel algorithms have been applied to analyze the occurrence of all nucleotides of 16 to 22 mer length in sequenced genomes. This detailed analysis has been applied to over 2000 genomes including human, rat, mouse, 140 microbes and over 1800 viruses as well.  A database is being established that contains all the host blind sequences present in NIAID category A, B and C priority threat agents. The objective of this project was to develop an effective user interface for this database.  .NET was used in the design, analysis and implementation of a web-based application to view the host blind sequences based on the search engine. The web-enabled graphical user interface allows users to perform advanced searches for unique and ultraspecific microarray probes and PCR primers and allows experienced users to download the original data in tab delimited text format for future use in custom applications.   

Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Time: 3:00 PM
Place: 550-PGH

Faculty, students, and the general public are invited.
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Yuriy Fofanov
       Co-advisor: Dr. George E. Fox