DNA ANALYSIS OF HAIR FOLLICLES THROUGH EXTRACTION, PCR, AND ELECTROPHORESIS. Marc Alonzo Alston, Ayanna Flemings, Kisha Vanterpool, and Lisa Williams; and mentor, Dr. Matthew George, Department of Biochemistry, Howard University, Washington, DC. Nucleic acids have at least two functions: pass on hereditary characterstic from one generation to the next and to govern cellular activities via protein synthesis. There are approximately 100,000 genes in a human being. The entire genetic make-up of humans is composed of 3 billion based of DNA. With knowledge of these sequences, researchers could implement therapeutic methods to solve mutations. Some of these methods are classified as gene therapies. The objective of this study was to extract DNA from hair samples, amplify the DNA by using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and analyze the DNA by electrophoresis. Extraction began by obtaining hair samples and freeing then of contaminants by washing them with ethanol. Chaotic buffers (designated L6 and L2) were used to lyse the hair cells and free the nucleic acids. Silicon Dioxide (Silica) was added to the solution to bind the DNA. The bound DNA was eluted from the silica by the addition of deionized water and incubation at 56 C.			The PCR procedure was required to amplify the DNA to an amount that could be anoalyzed. The PCR contained Taq Polymerase (DNA Polymerase III), deoxynucleotide triphosphates, mitochondrial DNA primers, DNA from hair samples, and buffer to replicate the DNA billions of times. With this amplification, the DNA was analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Known DNA markers and electrophoresis were used to determine the size of the DNA strands. An approximate length was determined. The length of the DNA analyzed was 400 base pairs. Marc A. Alston is a senior majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. After graduation, he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in genetics. His intrest in genetics stems from a family history of protein imblance among the males. Driven by his desire to combat this genetic imbalance, he has been invloved with the UDC Minority Science Center Program, the George Washington University Science and Engineering Program, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, and the Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society, Inc. McNair Alumni