Single Biomolecule Analysis with Integrated Nanofluidic Devices
Author: Mi Zhang (Biochemist)
Publisher:
Published: 2021
Total Pages: 271
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWe develop nanofluidic devices to study biomolecules and their reactions at the single-particle level. Analysis of single particles provides unprecedented insight into biological processes that is often missed when a population is studied as an ensemble. Because the nanofluidic devices are fabricated in plane, multiple fluidic components, e.g., nanopores, mixers, and reactors, can be easily integrated in any two-dimensional layout. Nanopores with dimensions comparable to the biomolecules of interest measure particle size and charge by label-free resistive-pulse sensing. Nanoscale mixers combine single biomolecules with reagents and introduce them into similarly sized reactors for chemical conversion. These in-plane structures also provide suitable probe volumes for continuous optical tracking. Thus, our nanofluidic devices offer an integrated environment for real-time detection of particle parameters at biologically relevant concentrations and over a range of reaction conditions. Initial experiments looked at how the presence of chaotropes, e.g., guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), led to either assembly or disassembly of virus-like particles, depending on the chaotrope concentration. An interesting observation of these assembly reactions was the formation of labile particles that appear to assemble, then disassemble, and reassemble into particles of different sizes.