Yusko, E.C. et al. Nat. Nanotechnol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2016.267 (2016).

Simple methods to detect and quantify mixtures of proteins in solution without any chemical modification steps would be useful in routine protein analysis, in proteomics research, and for diagnostics purposes. Yusko et al. describe such an approach based on the use of bilayer-coated solid-state nanopores, which could be further developed for practical protein fingerprinting of complex mixtures. They report theory describing how the rotational dynamics of single proteins cause changes to ionic current as proteins pass through the electric field inside the nanopore. This enables them to simultaneously measure protein shape, volume, charge, rotational diffusion coefficient, and dipole moment. The authors suggest that the method could replace routine 2D gel electrophoresis by providing improved quantification and throughput.