Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Optofluidic chip with nanopore 'smart gate' developed for single molecule analysis: Programmable device enables on-demand delivery of individual biomolecules with feedback-controlled gating for high-throughput analysis

Holger Schmidt has been developing optofluidic chip technology in collaboration with researchers at Brigham Young University, with applications in areas such as biological sensors, virus detection, and chemical analysis. (Photo by C. Lagattuta)
Holger Schmidt has been developing optofluidic chip technology in collaboration with researchers at Brigham Young University, with applications in areas such as biological sensors, virus detection, and chemical analysis. (Photo by C. Lagattuta)

Abstract:
A new chip-based platform developed by researchers at UC Santa Cruz integrates nanopores and optofluidic technology with a feedback-control circuit to enable an unprecedented level of control over individual molecules and particles on a chip for high-throughput analysis.

Optofluidic chip with nanopore 'smart gate' developed for single molecule analysis: Programmable device enables on-demand delivery of individual biomolecules with feedback-controlled gating for high-throughput analysis

Santa Cruz, CA | Posted on August 16th, 2019

In a paper published August 16 in Nature Communications, the researchers reported using the device to control the delivery of individual biomolecules--including ribosomes, DNA, and proteins--into a fluid-filled channel on the chip. They also showed that the device can be used to sort different types of molecules, enabling selective analysis of target molecules from a mixture.

The capabilities of the programmable nanopore-optofluidic device point the way toward a novel research tool for high-throughput single-molecule analysis on a chip, said Holger Schmidt, the Kapany Professor of Optoelectronics at UC Santa Cruz and corresponding author of the paper.

"We can bring a single molecule into a fluidic channel where it can then be analyzed using integrated optical waveguides or other techniques," Schmidt said. "The idea is to introduce a particle or molecule, hold it in the channel for analysis, then discard the particle, and easily and rapidly repeat the process to develop robust statistics of many single-molecule experiments."

The new device builds on previous work by Schmidt's lab and his collaborator Aaron Hawkins' group at Brigham Young University to develop optofluidic chip technology combining microfluidics (tiny channels for handling liquid samples on a chip) with integrated optics for optical analysis of single molecules. The addition of nanopores allows controlled delivery of molecules into the channel, as well as the opportunity to analyze the electrical signal produced as a molecule passes through the pore. This latest work was led by first author Mahmudur Rahman, a graduate student in Schmidt's lab at UC Santa Cruz.

Nanopore technology has been successfully used in DNA sequencing applications, and Schmidt and other researchers have been exploring new ways to exploit the information in the signals produced as molecules or particles translocate through a nanopore.

With the feedback control system (a microcontroller and solid-state relay) in the new device, real-time analysis of the current turns the nanopore into a "smart gate" that can be programmed by the user to deliver molecules into the channel in a predetermined manner. The gate can be closed as soon as a single molecule (or any number set by the user) has passed through, and opened again after a set time.

"The use of nanopores as 'smart gates' is a key step toward a single-molecule analysis system that is user-friendly and can work at high throughput," Schmidt said. "It allows user-programmable control over the number of molecules that are being delivered to a fluidic channel for further analysis or processing, selective gating of different types of single molecules, and the ability to deliver single molecules into a chip at record rates of many hundreds per minute."

Using bacterial (70S) ribosomes, the researchers demonstrated controlled delivery of more than 500 ribosomes per minute. Coauthor Harry Noller, the Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz, has done pioneering research on the structure and function of ribosomes, the molecular machines that synthesize proteins in all living cells, and has been collaborating with Schmidt's group since 2006.

The researchers also used a mixture of DNA and ribosomes to show the device's capacity to selectively activate the gating function for a target molecule (in this case, DNA). This can enable, for example, fluorescence experiments on a controlled number of target molecules, while unlabeled particles are ignored and discarded. Selective gating could also be used for purification or sorting of different particles downstream from the nanopore, based on the signals as the particles pass through the nanopore, Schmidt said.

The programmable system allows flexibility for a wide range of potential applications, he said.

###

In addition to Schmidt, Rahman, Hawkins, and Noller, the coauthors of the paper include Mark Harrington, Yucheng Li, Mohammad Sampad, Laura Lancaster, and Tom Yuzvinsky at UC Santa Cruz, and Matthew Stott at Brigham Young University. This work was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and NASA.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Tim Stephens

831-459-4352

Copyright © University of California - Santa Cruz

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

Related News Press

News and information

New class of protein misfolding simulated in high definition: Evidence for recently identified and long-lasting type of protein misfolding bolstered by atomic-scale simulations and new experiments August 8th, 2025

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

Lab-on-a-chip

Micro-scale opto-thermo-mechanical actuation in the dry adhesive regime Peer-Reviewed Publication September 24th, 2021

RIT researchers build micro-device to detect bacteria, viruses: New process improves lab-on-chip devices to isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infection, viruses April 17th, 2020

Silicon-graphene hybrid plasmonic waveguide photodetectors beyond 1.55 μm March 13th, 2020

Moving diagnostics out of the lab and into your hand: Electrochemical sensor platform technology could enable portable, multiplexed, point-of-care diagnostics for a wide range of applications November 11th, 2019

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Nanomedicine

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Discoveries

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

Announcements

Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025

Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025

Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer: Expo visitors to experience quantum computing firsthand August 8th, 2025

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025

Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

Research partnerships

Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project