Columbia researchers report novel approach for single molecule electronic DNA sequencing

Posted on by

Public release date: 21-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Beth Kwon beth.kwon@columbia.edu 212-854-6581 Columbia University

DNA sequencing is the driving force behind key discoveries in medicine and biology. For instance, the complete sequence of an individual's genome provides important markers and guidelines for medical diagnostics and healthcare. Up to now, the major roadblock has been the cost and speed of obtaining highly accurate DNA sequences. While numerous advances have been made in the last 10 years, most current high-throughput sequencing instruments depend on optical techniques for the detection of the four building blocks of DNA: A, C, G and T. To further advance the measurement capability, electronic DNA sequencing of an ensemble of DNA templates has also been developed. Recently, it has been shown that DNA can be threaded through protein nanoscale pores under an applied electric current to produce electronic signals at single molecule level. However, because the four nucleotides are very similar in their chemical structures, they cannot easily be distinguished using this technique. Thus, the research and development of a single-molecule electronic DNA sequencing platform is the most active area of investigation and has the potential to produce a hand-held DNA sequencer capable of deciphering the genome for personalized medicine and basic biomedical research.

A team of researchers at Columbia University, headed by Dr. Jingyue Ju (the Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacology, Director of the Center for Genome Technology and Biomolecular Engineering), with colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led by Dr. John Kasianowicz (Fellow of the American Physical Society), have developed a novel approach to potentially sequence DNA in nanopores electronically at single molecule level with single-base resolution. This work, entitled "PEG-Labeled Nucleotides and Nanopore Detection for Single Molecule DNA Sequencing by Synthesis" is now available in the open access online journal, Scientific Reports (2, 684 DOI:10.1038/srep00684, 2012), from the Nature Publication group.

The reported nanopore-based sequencing by synthesis (Nano-SBS) strategy can accurately distinguish four DNA bases by detecting 4 different sized tags released from 5'-phosphate-modified nucleotides at the single molecule level for sequence determination. The basic principle of the Nano-SBS strategy is described as follows. As each nucleotide analog is incorporated into the growing DNA strand during the polymerase reaction, its tag is released by phosphodiester bond formation. The tags will enter a nanopore in the order of their release, producing unique ionic current blockade signatures due to their distinct chemical structures, thereby determining DNA sequence electronically at single molecule level with single base resolution. As proof-of-principle, the research team attached four different length polymer tags to the terminal phosphate of 2'-deoxyguanosine-5'-tetraphosphate (a modified DNA building block) and demonstrated efficient incorporation of the nucleotide analogs during the polymerase reaction, as well as better than baseline discrimination among the four tags at single molecule level based on their nanopore ionic current blockade signatures. This approach coupled with polymerase attached to the nanopores in an array format should yield a single-molecule electronic Nano-SBS platform.

In previous work, the Center of Genome Technology & Biomolecular Engineering at Columbia University, led by Professor Ju and Dr. Nicholas J. Turro (William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry), developed a four-color DNA sequencing by synthesis (SBS) platform using cleavable fluorescent nucleotide reversible terminators (NRT), which is licensed to Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc., a QIAGEN company. SBS with cleavable fluorescent NRTs is the dominant approach used in the next generation DNA sequencing systems. Dr. Kasianowicz and his group at NIST pioneered the investigation of nanopores for single molecule analysis. They previously reported that different length polymers, polyethylene glycols (PEGs), could be distinguished by their unique effects on current readings in a -hemolysin protein nanopores at single molecule level and subsequently developed a theory for the method. Their results provide the proof-of-concept for single molecule mass spectrometry. The combination of the SBS concept with the distinct nanopore-detectable electronic tags to label DNA building blocks led to the development of the single-molecule electronic Nano-SBS approach described the current Scientific Reports article (09/21/2012).

As lead author Dr. Shiv Kumar points out, "The novelty of our approach lies in the design and use of four differently tagged nucleotides, which upon incorporation by DNA polymerase, release four different size tags that are distinguished from each other at the single molecule level when they pass through the nanopore. This approach overcomes any constraints imposed by the small differences among the four nucleotides, a challenge which most nanopore sequencing methods have faced for decades." Moreover, the technique is quite flexible; with PEG tags as prototypes, other chemical tags can be chosen to provide optimal separation in different nanopore systems.

With further development of this Nano-SBS approach, such as the use of large arrays of protein or solid nanopores, this system has the potential to accurately sequence an entire human genome rapidly and at low cost, thereby enabling it to be used in routine medical diagnoses.

###

The authors of the Scientific Reports article were Shiv Kumar, Chuanjuan Tao, Minchen Chien, Brittney Hellner, Arvind Balijepalli, Joseph W.F. Robertson, Zengmin Li, James J. Russo, Joseph E. Reiner, John J. Kasianowicz, and Jingyue Ju. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, a National Research Council/NIST/NIH Research Fellowship, and a grant from the NIST Office of Law Enforcement Standards.

Continue reading here:
Columbia researchers report novel approach for single molecule electronic DNA sequencing

Posted in DNA

DNA helps Wyckoff police nab 'motorcycle burglar'

Posted on by

WYCKOFF Police arrested a man known they called the "motorcycle burglar" this morning after matching him to DNA found at one of his victim's homes.

According to Wyckoff Chief Benjamin Fox, officers responded to a Nancy Lane residence in July 2011 after a homeowner reported that approximately $3,000 worth of jewelry had gone missing from her home.

A neighbor had observed a man activating an alarm system as he fled the home, and the man rode past the homeowner on a motorcycle as she was arriving home.

During an investigation, police found droplets of blood inside the home, along with a crowbar and a pair of latex gloves that had been discarded as the man rode away on the motorcycle, Fox said. They then matched DNA samples from the blood and gloves to 51-year-old Lee Malsch of Paterson, whose extensive criminal history included past burglaries.

Police obtained a warrant for Malsch's arrest on Sept. 11, but had trouble locating him. With the help of the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, however, they were able to find him this morning and take him into custody.

He was charged with burglary and theft, and is currently awaiting a bail hearing at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack.

Fox praised the work of the investigating officers, saying that burglaries can often be difficult to solve.

"My guys don't solve every crime. No department does. But when they have evidence to works ith, they do everything that they can to apprehend those responsible," he said. "That's what they did here, and this community should be grateful."

Police were unable to recover any of the jewelry stolen from the home in 2011.

More Wyckoff news

Read this article:
DNA helps Wyckoff police nab 'motorcycle burglar'

Posted in DNA

Rice to launch new doctoral program in systems, synthetic and physical biology

Posted on by

Starting in the fall of 2013, Rice will offer a new doctoral program in systems, synthetic and physical biology that was officially approved by the Rice Senate on Sept. 12. The program was originally envisioned by assistant professor of bioengineering Oleg Igoshin, professor of statistics Marek Kimmel, professor of biochemistry and cell biology Yousif Shamoo, and other professors from the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the George R. Brown School of Engineering.

With foundations in quantitative and life sciences, the program aims to make important advances in bioscience with work from students and 34 faculty members who specialize in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics or physics. An additional goal is to expand research, according to Igoshin.

Another goal of the program is to enable us to do research we couldnt do before, SSPB Director Michael Deem said. We will have more students to work with, and we hope to attract additional funding from the federal government or from private foundations.

This program is the first of its kind in the United States, Igoshin said.

This is the first program in the country that has synthetic biology in its name, and this name is very much related to its foundation, Igoshin said. We see this new biology as a system: a whole with interacting parts.

The program will feature one core course open for undergraduate enrollment but will otherwise be exclusively open to graduate students. It will be highly selective because the faculty are looking to recruit eight first-year graduate students per year, Deem said.

According to Igoshin, the program will be highly interdisciplinary and will include faculty members from eight departments in the schools of engineering and natural sciences.

We observed [that] the large expansion of Rice faculty [who were] doing biology-related research were not necessarily from the biology department, but from computer science, statistics, biological and chemical engineering, Igoshin said. There was a good resource of talented people to create such a program.

According to Igoshin, this program is designed to develop a new approach toward the study of biology.

Read more here:
Rice to launch new doctoral program in systems, synthetic and physical biology

Fearful Memories Can Be Permanently Erased

Posted on by

September 21, 2012

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

Emotional memories can be erased shortly after they are formed through behavioral intervention alone, without the aid of medications, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Science.

The breakthrough offers a major step forward in understanding where fearful memories are processed in the brain, and how to permanently erase them. The research could be particularly helpful for people suffering from conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers said.

When a person learns something, a lasting long-term memory is created through a process of consolidation, which is based on the formation of proteins. When we remember something, the memory becomes unstable for a short time, and is then restabilized by another consolidation process. In other words, we are not remembering what originally happened, but rather what we remembered the last time we thought about what happened.

The studys researchers sought to examine whether disrupting the reconsolidation process that follows upon remembering something could affect the content of memory.

They showed a small group of study participants a neutral picture while simultaneously administering an electric shock so that the picture came to elicit fear, triggering the formation of a fear memory.

The same picture was then shown to the participants the following day, but without an accompanying shock, in order to activate this fear memory (the beginning of the reconsolidation process).

Although seeing the picture again reactivated the original fear memory, it also, theoretically, made the memory easier to erase.

The researchers then divided the subjects into two groups. The first subgroup was repeatedly shown the picture, without the shocks, in order to disrupt their reconsolidation process so they would stop associating one with the other.

Read the original post:
Fearful Memories Can Be Permanently Erased

NASA sets launch date for resupply

Posted on by

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 9:19 AM EDT, Fri September 21, 2012

SpaceX will begin its first official resupply flight to International Space Station on October 7, NASA said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- SpaceX will begin its first official resupply flight to International Space Station on October 7, NASA announced Thursday.

Following the success of a demonstration flight in May, the privately owned space company is scheduled to transport about 1,000 pounds of supplies to the space station and bring back more than 1,200 pounds of scientific material and space station hardware.

SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth after 'grand slam' space mission

It will be the first of 12 such missions, NASA said.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and unmanned Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch from Cape Canaveral at 8:34 p.m. ET on October 7, with the next day as a backup date.

The CRS-1 mission should reach the space station on October 10 and return several weeks later.

See the article here:

NASA sets launch date for resupply

Space shuttle Endeavour: Excitement builds for Los Angeles flyover

Posted on by

Anticipation is building for the space shuttle Endeavour's flight over California on Friday.

Landmarks across Southern California were making special accommodations for large crowds and opening up prime viewing spots to space enthusiasts.

At Los Angeles City Hall, officials will open the Tom Bradley Tower to view Endeavour's flyover, and they expect people to also gather at the newly opened Grand Park downtown.

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey to L.A.

Crowds were expected at Griffith Observatory, and a free shuttle provided by Councilam Tom LaBonge will pick up people at overflow parking lots at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave.

"There have been many days of joy in the city of Los Angeles: our sports teams have brought home championships, and our Olympians have taken back gold medals. But tomorrow, this flyover by space shuttle Endeavour is going to take the cake," LaBonge said. "I hope everyone gets the chance to see it."

In Palmdale, retired workers will gather near Plant 42 where Endeavour was assembled, at Avenue N and Sierra Highway.

SUBMIT PHOTOS: Upload your shuttle photos here

In Long Beach, the Queen Mary, the floating historic landmark, is offering free admission between 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. to anyone who tells the ticket attendant the code word: "Endeavour."

Go here to read the rest:

Space shuttle Endeavour: Excitement builds for Los Angeles flyover

NASA | Arctic Cyclone Breaks Up Sea Ice – Video

Posted on by

19-09-2012 12:37 Watch how the winds of a large Arctic cyclone broke up the thinning sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean in early August 2012. The storm likely contributed to the ice cap's shrinking to the smallest recorded extent in the past three decades. The frozen cap of the Arctic Ocean likely reached its annual summertime minimum extent and broke a new record low on Sept. 16, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder has reported. Analysis of satellite data by NASA and the NASA-supported NSIDC showed that the sea ice extent shrunk to 1.32 million square miles (3.41 million square kilometers), or 293000 square miles less than the previous lowest extent in the satellite record, set in mid-September, 2007. "Climate models have predicted a retreat of the Arctic sea ice; but the actual retreat has proven to be much more rapid than the predictions," said Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist atNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "There continues to be considerable interannual variability in the sea ice cover, but the long-term retreat is quite apparent." This year, the cyclone formed off the coast of Alaska and moved on Aug. 5 to the center of the Arctic Ocean, where it churned the weakened ice cover for several days. The storm cut off a large section of sea ice north of the Chukchi Sea and pushed it south to warmer waters that made it melt entirely. It also broke vast extensions of ice into smaller pieces more likely to melt. "The ...

Originally posted here:

NASA | Arctic Cyclone Breaks Up Sea Ice - Video

Legislation would change how NASA is led

Posted on by

WASHINGTON Disappointed with the direction of NASA's human spaceflight program over the past two decades, two Texas congressmen introduced legislation Thursday aimed at de-politicizing the agency.

Rep. John Culberson, a Houston Republican, said the lawmakers were pushing the proposal "today to restore the NASA we know and love."

"The NASA that we know is capable of maintaining that world leadership in space exploration if we would just make them get the politics out of NASA to allow them do what they do best, to let the scientists, the engineers, the astronauts and the professional that have made that agency such an amazing place," he said at a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol.

The proposal, called the Space Leadership Preservation Act of 2012, would create a 10-year term for the NASA administrator - inspired by the 10-year term of the nonpartisan FBI director - and the establishment of an 11-member board of directors.

Under the act, the president, speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate would each appoint three members of the board and the Senate and House minority leaders would each select one. It is co-sponsored by Culberson, Sugar Land Rep. Pete Olson, Florida Rep. Bill Posey and Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf. The measure has no Democratic sponsors.

Culberson said NASA abandoned missions and wasted taxpayer money because of a lack of continuity in its leadership and an overabundance of influence from presidential administrations, citing 27 program cancellations in 20 years.

The congressmen also expressed concern that the U.S. is steadily falling behind other countries in space exploration and losing its standing as the leader in the new frontier. Olson accused NASA of settling to be "space hitchhikers with the Russians."

"After 40 years of unquestioned U.S. dominance in space, the 21st century has already seen competition from other countries, including those who do not share our democratic values," Wolf said, referring to the advancements in the Chinese space program.

The bill has virtually no chance of winning passage in the waning days of the current Congress. But GOP lawmakers were laying down a marker for debate over NASA's future in the next Congress.

Culberson and Olson said the proposal has the blessing of Rep. Lamar Smith, the San Antonio Republican expected to become chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee if Republicans retain control of the House.

Read the original post:

Legislation would change how NASA is led

2 congressmen want NASA board, 10-year term for leader

Posted on by

WASHINGTON Disappointed with the direction of NASA's human spaceflight program over the past two decades, two Texas congressmen introduced legislation Thursday aimed at de-politicizing the agency.

Rep. John Culberson, a Houston Republican, said the lawmakers were pushing the proposal "today to restore the NASA we know and love."

"The NASA that we know is capable of maintaining that world leadership in space exploration if we would just make them get the politics out of NASA to allow them do what they do best, to let the scientists, the engineers, the astronauts and the professional that have made that agency such an amazing place," he said at a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol.

The proposal, called the Space Leadership Preservation Act of 2012, would create a 10-year term for the NASA administrator - inspired by the 10-year term of the nonpartisan FBI director - and the establishment of an 11-member board of directors.

Under the act, the president, speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate would each appoint three members of the board and the Senate and House minority leaders would each select one. It is co-sponsored by Culberson, Sugar Land Rep. Pete Olson, Florida Rep. Bill Posey and Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf. The measure has no Democratic sponsors.

Culberson said NASA abandoned missions and wasted taxpayer money because of a lack of continuity in its leadership and an overabundance of influence from presidential administrations, citing 27 program cancellations in 20 years.

The congressmen also expressed concern that the U.S. is steadily falling behind other countries in space exploration and losing its standing as the leader in the new frontier. Olson accused NASA of settling to be "space hitchhikers with the Russians."

"After 40 years of unquestioned U.S. dominance in space, the 21st century has already seen competition from other countries, including those who do not share our democratic values," Wolf said, referring to the advancements in the Chinese space program.

The bill has virtually no chance of winning passage in the waning days of the current Congress. But GOP lawmakers were laying down a marker for debate over NASA's future in the next Congress.

Culberson and Olson said the proposal has the blessing of Rep. Lamar Smith, the San Antonio Republican expected to become chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee if Republicans retain control of the House.

See the original post here:

2 congressmen want NASA board, 10-year term for leader

Daniel Baldi agrees to not practice medicine with manslaugher charges pending

Posted on by

A Des Moines pain-relief doctor has promised to refrain from practicing medicine while a criminal case against him works its way through the courts, his lawyer said.

Dr. Daniel Baldi

Dr. Daniel Baldi made the agreement recently with the Iowa Board of Medicine, which licenses physicians, said his lawyer, Guy Cook. The board filed administrative charges against Baldi in August, accusing him of carelessly prescribing large amounts of narcotics to patients. The board had set an Oct. 11 hearing on those charges, but the agencys staff has agreed to delay that hearing indefinitely, Cook said.

The state boards administrative charges could cost Baldi his medical license, but the doctor has bigger worries. On Sept. 5, prosecutors charged him with eight criminal counts of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly overprescribing narcotics to patients who wound up dying of overdoses. If convicted, the doctor could face prison.

Baldi, 50, denies the allegations, but Cook said he promised to refrain from practicing medicine so that the medical board would agree to hold off on its proceedings against him until the criminal process is complete.

The stipulation with the board specifically provides the agreement is not an admission of any charges or wrongdoing by Dr. Baldi, Cook said in an email last night.

Baldi helped run an Iowa Health System pain clinic, which the company closed without explanation in June. Iowa Health officials said at the time that they had suspended Baldi from the clinic before it closed. About 1,800 patients had to scramble to find new health-care providers. Some of them have hailed Baldi as a caring physician who provided relief from unrelenting pain. Others have said that he should be punished if officials prove that his recklessness caused deaths.

The case comes amid a national wave of concern over abuse of narcotic painkillers, which can lead to addiction and death. The Iowa licensing board has sanctioned several doctors in recent years for allegedly overprescribing such drugs. However, the criminal charges against Baldi are a rarity. Cook has said that no other Iowa doctor has ever faced manslaughter charges in such a case. The doctor remains free on $16,000 bond after being jailed for a few hours on the day the charges were filed.

Tags: "Iowa Board of Medicine, Dr. Daniel Baldi, Guy Cook, health, Iowa Health System

Go here to read the rest:

Daniel Baldi agrees to not practice medicine with manslaugher charges pending

Macalester College: Libertarian presidential candidate to speak

Posted on by

The Libertarian Party candidate for president is speaking at Macalester College.

Gary Johnson, a former two-term New Mexico governor who left the Republican Party at the end of 2011, is holding an afternoon event Friday Sept. 21 at the St. Paul school as part of a nationwide college tour.

Before leaving the GOP, Johnson had sought the party's presidential nomination but was only allowed to participate in some candidate debates.

He holds some standard Republican views like support for lower taxes and spending cuts, but diverges from the party in support for legalizing marijuana and drastically decreasing the U.S. military presence overseas.

Johnson's campaign said his name will appear on the presidential ballot in all 50 states, though that is subject to ongoing legal challenges in several states.

See the original post here:

Macalester College: Libertarian presidential candidate to speak

Gary Johnson invigorates the Libertarian vote

Posted on by

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson spoke Thursday in Durham about the rise in libertarianism in todays political environment. Joining him at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University were libertarian gubernatorial candidates Barbara Howe and Brian Irving.

The Libertarian partys appearance follows on the heels of a 16 percent increase in registered Libertarian voters in the United States last month, according to Howe. She said that mostly Democrats and independents are converting to Libertarianism.

"Our country needs a new direction," Howe said. "It needs a third party to break through."

Howe conveyed her strong opinions on the passage of Amendment One, an anti-same sex marriage law, this previous May. Howe said shebelieves the passage of the amendment was a "slap on society." She said shewas so upset by the passage of this amendment that she shredded her marriage license in front of the Attorney General's office.

This is Howes third run for Governor of North Carolina, and to boost awareness of her campaign and the Libertarian party in general, she is organizing and participating in a 5K run in all 100 counties of North Carolina. She has already visited 84 counties and hosted what she said to be successful events. On Nov.4, the day before election day, Howe plans to end her tour in Wake County by completing a 5K in front of the Governor's Mansion.

The Libertarian party currently has three candidates running for the House. One of whom is Brian Irving, who gave a brief speech after Howe.

"Our country has been at war my entire life," Irving said.

He said he feels strongly abut bringing our troops home and supports an isolationist foreign policy.

"I am presenting a completely different view than twinkle-dumb and twinkle-dumber" Irving said.

Excerpt from:

Gary Johnson invigorates the Libertarian vote

Libertarian presidential candidate at Macalester College

Posted on by

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, is speaking Friday at Macalester College. The former two-term New Mexico governor is in St. Paul as part of a nationwide college tour to rally young voters.

The appearance is welcome one for voters who hope the electorate looks beyond the two-party system.

"They always say if you vote for a third party you waste your vote," former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura said on FOX 9 in July. "I've got news for you if you vote for a Democrat or Republican you waste your vote."

Johnson, 59, left the Republican Party at the end of 2011, after making a run for the GOP nomination, but getting shut-out of some debates.

Johnson's platform includes Republican-aligned support for lower taxes and spending cuts, but independent support for gay marriage, legalizing marijuana and drastically cutting the U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Johnson will appear on the presidential ballot in all 50 states, but faces legal challenges in several states.

Johnson carried the support of four percent of registered voters in a recent CNN poll -- one of only a few that have included the Libertarian candidate.

Read the rest here:

Libertarian presidential candidate at Macalester College

Asset sales profits to go to help Chatham Islands

Posted on by

Published: 1:22PM Friday September 21, 2012 Source: ONE News

Profits from the Government's controversial asset sales programme will be used to help the residents of the Chatham Islands, the Prime Minister has announced.

The small community of just over 600 people needs millions of dollars of investment to upgrade its decaying port and boost power generation.

On his first visit to the islands, John Key conceded the Government is likely to fund a $20 million upgrade to the vital but rotting wharf, and may put about $6 million from the partial sale of state assets into more power generation.

The move would bring down electricity bills which are currently three times higher than those on the mainland.

However, the Government's contribution cold be reduced if proposals to dredge phosphate from the sea floor are realised.

Chatham Islands Mayor Albert Preece is in discussions with Dutch and New Zealand joint venture partners interested in mining the mineral which is used in fertiliser.

He told ONE News he has heard figures of $1.3 billion talked about in relation to the venture.

Key said the Government would be in discussions with the group if the plans go further ahead. "That's standard practice in New Zealand when we look at some developments," he said.

The prospect of a large scale investment in the islands is being welcomed by locals.

Read more here:

Asset sales profits to go to help Chatham Islands

Is there profit in health care changes?

Posted on by

Sprig Health, an Oregon-based online health care website, has jumped into the Seattle area. But when Obamacare starts in 2014, how well will their model blend with Affordable Care?

A crowd gathered to cheer the Supreme Court ruling and criticize Washington's attorney general.

Sun, Jun 24, 5 p.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court could be on the verge of a ruling on the Affordable Care Act. A look at one couple's situation.

Back in June of 2012, a small crowd gathered outside the Bank of America tower in downtown Seattle to celebrate the Supreme Courts upholding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Supporters shared stories about rounds of chemotherapy, the frustrations and uncertainty of living without insurance, and stressed the importance of universal health care when Affordable Care is implemented in 2014.

With that kind of dissatisfaction, the health-care sector is seeking to give consumers new options.

Washington consumers are starting to see one change with the entry of Sprig Health, a growing Oregon-based company offering an online market place providing customers with direct access to health care. In August 2012, they expanded into Washington, giving the 14.5 percent of Washingtons currently uninsured perhaps some relief until ACA takes effect.

Sprig, which runs under auspices of Regence BlueCross BlueShield, offers discounted medical services such as preventative care, therapy, chiropractic, vision, dental, fitness, nutrition, and diagnostic imaging.

How it works is simple: A customer schedules an appointment with a care provider partnered with Sprig on their website, pays a reduced upfront fee, then sees the provider.

By handling the insurance billing and administrative paperwork that typically the health care provider needs to process, Sprig Health says it is able to produce significant cost savings a boon to the approximately 75 percent of Sprig customers who are uninsured or face high deductibles.

See the original post:

Is there profit in health care changes?