Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
Stochastic Detection of Terrorist Agents
and Biomolecules in a Biological Channel
Xiyun Guan, Ranulu Samanthi S. de Zoysa, Dilani A. Jayawardhana,
and Qitao Zhao
Abstract Stochastic sensing can detect analytes at the single-molecule level, in
which a biological ion channel embedded in a lipid bilayer or a nano-scale sized
pore fabricated in a solid-state membrane is used as the sensing element. By
monitoring the ionic current modulations induced by the passage of the target
analyte through the single pore, both the concentration and the identity of the
analyte can be revealed. In this chapter, we highlight recent advances in the
stochastic detection of terrorist agents and biomolecules, and in real-world sample
analysis using alpha-hemolysin protein ion channels.
Keywords Stochastic sensing Ion channel Lipid bilayer Alpha-hemolysin
Artificial nanopore Single-channel recording Terrorist agents Peptides DNA
Real-world sample analysis
13.1
Introduction
Nanopore stochastic sensing is currently an active research area. In large part this
growing interest is driven by the discovery that nanopore sensors can successfully
detect analytes at the single-molecule level, potentially offering a highly sensitive,
rapid, and multi-functional sensing system [
1
,
2
]. Nanopore detection is achieved by
monitoring the ionic current flowing through a single pore at a fixed applied poten-
tial. Typically a buffer solution containing a high salt concentration (e.g., 1 M NaCl
or KCl) at or near pH 7.4 (i.e., physiological pH) is used to produce the open channel
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