Nanopore Sensor for Biophysical and Biomedical Applications
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
The nanopores are used to examine the fundamentals of water and ion transport, to analyze biomolecules and biostructures, and they revolutionized DNA sequencing. The sensor comprises a single few-nanometer scaled pore fabricated in a free-standing membrane separating two microfluidic chambers. The nanopore is the sole route for transporting biomolecules between the chambers and could be used to interrogate such biomolecules individually. Combining single-molecule detection with high throughput, the nanopores allow for exploration heterogeneity in biostructures with high statistics.
I will first introduce the nanopore sensors as an indispensable tool in biophysics, which could reveal hitherto hidden properties of DNA. Exploring dynamic and static properties of DNA knots at the single molecule level, we addressed a long-lasting question of the size of the knots and revealed the existence of rare complex knots. We showed that DNA becomes malleable at the short time- and length-scales, diverging from the standard polymer model. We observed an onset of attractive inter-DNA interaction moderated purely by monovalent ions at high concentrations. Next, I will present our efforts to develop new classes of two-dimensional amorphous nanopores, with significantly reduced noise and biofouling compared to the other pores. Lastly, I will present our translational project, the development of a new affinity nanopore sensor for detecting biomarkers, with sensitivity and speed increased by two orders of magnitude compared to the traditional methods. Such a sensor could be used with the blood-droplet volume of the analyte, leading to new venues for continuous and seamless biomarker monitoring.
Bio:
Slaven Garaj’s research is focused on emerging nanoscale phenomena at the interfaces between soft and hard matter, with a particular interest in nanopores single-molecule sensors, nanofluidic, and two-dimensional (2D) materials for membrane application. His pioneering research on graphene nanopores kick-started the field of nanofluidics with 2D materials, while his study of the graphene-oxide laminar membranes demonstrated their feasibility for ion-exchange applications. His research received keen attention in the media (BBC, Natural History Magazine, Technology Review, C&E News, etc.). While pursuing in-depth scientific understanding, his research group drives the development of technologies in medical diagnostics, water filtration, and energy harvesting – and related patents are licensed to biotech and cleantech companies. A spin-off company from his lab, reActo, won the ExtremeTech Challenge award for the best cleantech startup in Southeast Asia in 2022, allowing it to present its technology at the central stage of the Global TechCrunch conference in San Francisco. Slaven Garaj joined National University of Singapore in 2012 as faculty member in the Departments of Physics and Biomedical Engineering, and has been awarded the prestigious NRF Fellowship. He is a PI at the program Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-medicine, under Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Previously, he worked as a research scientist at Harvard University, and conducted his PhD thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in the field of condensed-matter physics. www.garaj-lab.org
Zoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/68498284002
Abstract:
The nanopores are used to examine the fundamentals of water and ion transport, to analyze biomolecules and biostructures, and they revolutionized DNA sequencing. The sensor comprises a single few-nanometer scaled pore fabricated in a free-standing membrane separating two microfluidic chambers. The nanopore is the sole route for transporting biomolecules between the chambers and could be used to interrogate such biomolecules individually. Combining single-molecule detection with high throughput, the nanopores allow for exploration heterogeneity in biostructures with high statistics.
I will first introduce the nanopore sensors as an indispensable tool in biophysics, which could reveal hitherto hidden properties of DNA. Exploring dynamic and static properties of DNA knots at the single molecule level, we addressed a long-lasting question of the size of the knots and revealed the existence of rare complex knots. We showed that DNA becomes malleable at the short time- and length-scales, diverging from the standard polymer model. We observed an onset of attractive inter-DNA interaction moderated purely by monovalent ions at high concentrations. Next, I will present our efforts to develop new classes of two-dimensional amorphous nanopores, with significantly reduced noise and biofouling compared to the other pores. Lastly, I will present our translational project, the development of a new affinity nanopore sensor for detecting biomarkers, with sensitivity and speed increased by two orders of magnitude compared to the traditional methods. Such a sensor could be used with the blood-droplet volume of the analyte, leading to new venues for continuous and seamless biomarker monitoring.
Bio:
Slaven Garaj’s research is focused on emerging nanoscale phenomena at the interfaces between soft and hard matter, with a particular interest in nanopores single-molecule sensors, nanofluidic, and two-dimensional (2D) materials for membrane application. His pioneering research on graphene nanopores kick-started the field of nanofluidics with 2D materials, while his study of the graphene-oxide laminar membranes demonstrated their feasibility for ion-exchange applications. His research received keen attention in the media (BBC, Natural History Magazine, Technology Review, C&E News, etc.). While pursuing in-depth scientific understanding, his research group drives the development of technologies in medical diagnostics, water filtration, and energy harvesting – and related patents are licensed to biotech and cleantech companies. A spin-off company from his lab, reActo, won the ExtremeTech Challenge award for the best cleantech startup in Southeast Asia in 2022, allowing it to present its technology at the central stage of the Global TechCrunch conference in San Francisco. Slaven Garaj joined National University of Singapore in 2012 as faculty member in the Departments of Physics and Biomedical Engineering, and has been awarded the prestigious NRF Fellowship. He is a PI at the program Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-medicine, under Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Previously, he worked as a research scientist at Harvard University, and conducted his PhD thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in the field of condensed-matter physics. www.garaj-lab.org
Zoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/68498284002
Practical information
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