Methods for the detection of biologically relevant molecules and their interaction characteristics

摘要

Methods for the detection of biologically relevant molecules that comprise concentrating such molecules into microscopic holes in a sheet of chemically inert material, restricting the openings, and measuring the electric current through the holes or the fluorescence near the hole openings. The electric current or fluorescence will change as the molecules diffuse out of the holes, providing a measure of the diffusion rate and thereby detecting the presence and characteristics of the molecules. For molecules that interact, the diffusion rate will be slower than for molecules that do not interact, yielding a determination of the molecular interaction. Capping the population of holes and inserting into a mass spectrometer allows identification of the molecules.

主权项

1. A method for analyzing an analyte, comprising:
(a) providing a sheet of material having a plurality of through holes, the through holes having openings on both faces of the sheet of material; (b) restricting openings of the through holes on at least one face of the sheet of material; (c) inserting an analyte into the through holes from one side of the sheet of material, wherein passage of the analyte through the through holes is restricted by the restricting in step (b); (d) passing a migration force axially through the through holes containing the analyte; (e) allowing the analyte to diffuse out of the through holes from the same side of the sheet of material in step (c), and (f) measuring a change in fluorescence with time, wherein the change is indicative of the diffusion rates of the analyte diffusing out of the through holes in step (e).