Work

Enhanced discrimination of DNA molecules in nanofluidic channels through multiple measurements

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Nanofluidic sensing elements have been the focus of recent experiments for numerous applications ranging from nucleic acid fragment sizing to single-molecule DNA sequencing. These applications critically rely on high measurement fidelity, and methods to increase resolution are required. Herein, we describe fabrication and testing of a nanochannel device that enhances measurement resolution by performing multiple measurements (>100) on single DNA molecules. The enhanced measurement resolution enabled length discrimination between a mixture of λ-DNA (48.5 kbp) and T7 DNA (39.9 kbp) molecules, which were detected as transient current changes during translocation of the molecules through the nanochannel. As long DNA molecules are difficult to resolve quickly and with high fidelity with conventional electrophoresis, this approach may yield potentially portable, direct electrical sizing of DNA fragments with high sensitivity and resolution.

Source: Lab on a Chip

DOI: 10.1039/c2lc20771k

Authors: Yi-Heng Sen, Tarun Jain, Carlos A. Aguilar, Rohit Karnik

Institutions: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Awards: G5375263557, G6988248355, Nanofluidic system for analysis of single biological molecules and particles