Final Report Summary - PORABEL (Nanopore integrated nanoelectrodes for biomolecular manipulation and sensing)
Recent years witnessed significant demand and research activity in the development of new DNA sequencing technologies. Nanopore-based sequencing presents attractive alternative to existing technology since in its concept it should provide a fast, single-molecule, label free, amplification free, inexpensive, high-throughput sequencing technology. Bio-engineered pores, alpha-hemolysin and MspA have already reported experimental realization of single-nucleotide resolution. Recently, Oxford Nanopore has announced their first-generation sequencer using bio-engineered pores. Showing that also solid state nanopores based on the 2D materials can be used to discriminate single nucleotides has paved the way for future rapid and cheap nanopore sequencing. In addition we have successfully realized an integration of a solid-state nanopore with a 2D material based transistors to create a sensor that simultaneously measures ionic current blockade and local voltage changes occurring within the graphene when a DNA molecule translocates through the pore. Such novel types of devices could offer easier multiplexing and pave a way for cheap and fast DNA sequencing.