Nanopore Cavity Device for Entropic Molecule Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current nanopore sensors face challenges in effectively containing and analyzing single molecules, particularly biomolecules like DNA, due to limitations in trapping and measuring interactions over extended periods and with high precision.
Innovation Solution
The development of a device comprising a nanopore, a pore, and a cavity that uses an electric field and ionic strength gradients to entropically trap molecules within a cavity, allowing for extended containment and analysis of biomolecules, enabling repeated trapping and interaction studies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a nanopore sensor is used to detect single molecules, then measurement precision is improved, but the duration of molecule containment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into three distinct functional zones: a nanopore for high-precision detection, a cavity for extended containment, and a pore for molecular access. This segmentation allows the molecule to be contained in the cavity while being detected by the nanopore, resolving the contradiction between containment duration and measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity acts as an intermediary between the nanopore and the external environment. It temporarily holds the molecule and allows repeated translocation events through the nanopore, enabling both extended containment and continuous high-precision measurements without the molecule being permanently trapped in the nanopore
2Productivity
If electric field is applied to urge molecule into cavity, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electric field is applied periodically rather than continuously. Voltage pulses are used to drive molecules into the cavity, followed by periods where entropic effects dominate. This periodic application maintains high trapping efficiency while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous field application
Solution Approach 2:
Once molecules are initially driven into the cavity by the electric field, the system uses entropic effects (self-service) to maintain containment without additional energy input. The cavity's geometric constraints and the molecule's own thermal motion work together to keep molecules trapped, reducing the need for continuous energy input
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the prolonged entrapment of molecules, facilitating detailed analysis and interaction studies, including chemical modification and enzymatic reactions, with enhanced diffusion times and recapture probabilities, thereby improving biosensing capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
urging, using an electric field, a molecule into a cavity within a device
Implementation Method 2
in the absence of the electric field, the molecule is entropically contained within the cavity
Implementation Method 3
A nanometer-scale pore can be used to determine a single molecule as it passes through the pore
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for containing molecules. In some embodiments, the device comprises a nanopore, a pore, and a cavity capable of entropically containing (e.g., trapping) a molecule (e.g., a biomolecule), e.g., for minutes, hours, or days. In certain embodiments, the method comprises urging a molecule into a cavity of a device by application of an electric field, and/or by deposition of fluids having different ionic strengths. The molecule may comprise, in some cases, nucleic acids (e.g., DNA). The molecule, when present in the cavity and/or the nanopore, may be capable of being analyzed, determined, or chemically modified. In some instances, a second molecule (e.g., a second molecule which interacts the first molecule) may also be urged into the cavity. In some embodiments, the interaction of the second molecule with the first molecule (e.g., the second molecule binding to or chemically modifying the first molecule) may be determined by, for example, a change in voltage measured across the device.