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Nanopore sensors for nucleic acid analysis

Nature Nanotechnology volume 6, pages 615–624 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Nanopore analysis is an emerging technique that involves using a voltage to drive molecules through a nanoscale pore in a membrane between two electrolytes, and monitoring how the ionic current through the nanopore changes as single molecules pass through it. This approach allows charged polymers (including single-stranded DNA, double-stranded DNA and RNA) to be analysed with subnanometre resolution and without the need for labels or amplification. Recent advances suggest that nanopore-based sensors could be competitive with other third-generation DNA sequencing technologies, and may be able to rapidly and reliably sequence the human genome for under $1,000. In this article we review the use of nanopore technology in DNA sequencing, genetics and medical diagnostics.

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Figure 1: Trends in nanopore analysis of DNA.
Figure 2: Biological nanopores for DNA sequencing.
Figure 3: Solid-state nanopore architectures for DNA analysis.
Figure 4: Other applications of nanopores: miRNA detection and genomic profiling.
Figure 5: Hybrid biological–solid-state nanopores.
Figure 6: Possible novel nanopore architectures for sequencing.

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Acknowledgements

B.M.V. is a trainee supported by the Midwestern Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (NIH-NCI R25 CA154015). Support from the National Institutes of Health (R21 CA155863) and the National Science Foundation (EEC-0425626) is also acknowledged. The authors thank J. Hanlon-Sinn (Beckman Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) for the images in Fig. 6, and M. Drndic (University of Pennsylvania) for valuable discussions.

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  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61820, Illinois, USA

    Bala Murali Venkatesan & Rashid Bashir

  2. Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61820, Illinois, USA

    Bala Murali Venkatesan & Rashid Bashir

  3. Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61820, Illinois, USA

    Rashid Bashir

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Venkatesan, B., Bashir, R. Nanopore sensors for nucleic acid analysis. Nature Nanotech 6, 615–624 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2011.129

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