Scientists have created a new, precision nanopore platform that can identify and characterize individual molecules, opening the potential for early-stage cancer biomarker identification. This new technology, named GURU, uses a dual-layer nanopore system to direct molecules down a better channel for less disordered measurements and understanding their structure and interactions.
Lead the Molecules in The Maze
The knotted and chaotic motion of molecules like DNA is one reason that traditional nanopore platforms have had difficulty studying them.
Now, however, a new system called GURU is letting researchers wrest some control back. Two nanopores, stacked hundreds of nanometers apart from each other can then channel molecules through a more directed and specific path.
By using an initial layer through which the molecules can pass and then depositing a second slower-moving adhesion layer, greater detection times are possible combined with accurate molecular length control and conformation as they run. The researchers have seen these signal patterns arise in unique shapes, “W” and “T,” yielding new insights into the way that molecules interact with the system.
The GURU platform enables purely solid-state molecular detection for efficient, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid analysis without the need of proteins that can degrade and diminish sensitivity.
Realizing the Prospects of HLA Sequencing
This is particularly important where the use of Illumina or standard 454 platforms may not yield results, for example at the HLA level and with all related loci, essential for organ transplantation.
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II loci are one of the most polymorphic regions in the human genome, which is only revealed by accurate long-read sequencing. Existing sequencing technologies, on the other hand, have been unable to provide this level of resolution and uniformity.
Enter the GURU system. This new nanopore-based technique could be a godsend for researchers and clinicians in the field of organ transplantation, by providing finer yet more complete sequencing.
Physicist Marija Drndić at the University of Pennsylvania is collaborating on this study with Dimitri Monos, director of the Immunogenetics Laboratory in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which shows an interdisciplinary approach. They have joined hands to use their experience to solve liver marker problem, which is the need of an hour in molecular detection and sequencing种的分野。
Conclusion
The GURU nanopore platform illustrates a large leap in the area of molecular detection and analysis. It also has the promise to open up new frontiers in areas such as DNA sequencing, protein structure measuring and disease diagnostics by allowing levels of precision/ control. As researchers iterate and evolve the system to include more sophisticated functionality, the life sciences community will have a new conduit to drive serendipitous breakthroughs.
