Location
Physics : 401
Date & Time
October 19, 2016, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Description
TITLE: Detection and interrogation of biomolecules via nanoscale devices: From DNA sequencing to fundamental physics
ABSTRACT: Single-molecule techniques have revolutionized science, giving an unprecedented level of information about physical processes at the nanoscale and uncovering phenomena otherwise concealed by bulk or ensemble measurements. Typically these techniques make use of optical methods or electron microscopy. However, transport — the flow of ions, electrons, and energy — also probes molecules and physical processes at the atomic level. For instance, electronic transport across a nanoscale gap containing a DNA nucleotide can determine which of the four bases is present. Monitoring the electronic current as a single strand of DNA, e.g., translocates through a nanopore housing two electrodes may thus provide a platform for a rapid, low-cost, and portable — i.e., point-of-care — DNA sequencing technology. Thermal transport, on the other hand, tells us about fluctuations and their motion through molecules. When a thermal or energy current flows through a biomolecule, in particular, it therefore reveals the nature of structural transitions and nonlinear interactions, the basic mechanisms by which biomolecules function. As well, ion transport through engineered, confined spaces of nanoscale dimensions supplies a means to quantify the role of ion-water interaction — i.e., hydration — in biological ion channels. In addition to their possible impact in medicine and biology, transport processes offer ideal test beds to study open scientific issues in the relatively unexplored area at the interface between solids, liquids, and biomolecules at nanometer length scales.
ABSTRACT: Single-molecule techniques have revolutionized science, giving an unprecedented level of information about physical processes at the nanoscale and uncovering phenomena otherwise concealed by bulk or ensemble measurements. Typically these techniques make use of optical methods or electron microscopy. However, transport — the flow of ions, electrons, and energy — also probes molecules and physical processes at the atomic level. For instance, electronic transport across a nanoscale gap containing a DNA nucleotide can determine which of the four bases is present. Monitoring the electronic current as a single strand of DNA, e.g., translocates through a nanopore housing two electrodes may thus provide a platform for a rapid, low-cost, and portable — i.e., point-of-care — DNA sequencing technology. Thermal transport, on the other hand, tells us about fluctuations and their motion through molecules. When a thermal or energy current flows through a biomolecule, in particular, it therefore reveals the nature of structural transitions and nonlinear interactions, the basic mechanisms by which biomolecules function. As well, ion transport through engineered, confined spaces of nanoscale dimensions supplies a means to quantify the role of ion-water interaction — i.e., hydration — in biological ion channels. In addition to their possible impact in medicine and biology, transport processes offer ideal test beds to study open scientific issues in the relatively unexplored area at the interface between solids, liquids, and biomolecules at nanometer length scales.