title: High-bandwidth detection of short DNA in nanopipettes.
abstract: Glass or quartz nanopipettes have found increasing use as tools for studying the biophysical properties of DNA and proteins, and as sensor devices. The ease of fabrication, favourable wetting properties and low capacitance are some of the inherent advantages, for example compared to more conventional, silicon-based nanopore chips. Recently, we have demonstrated high-bandwidth detection of double-stranded (ds) DNA with microsecond time resolution in nanopipettes, using custom-designed electronics. The electronics design has now been refined to include more sophisticated control features, such as integrated bias reversal and other features. Here, we exploit these capabilities and probe the translocation of short dsDNA in the 100 bp range, in different electrolytes. Single-stranded (ss) DNA of similar length are in use as capture probes, so label-free detection of their ds counterparts could therefore be of relevance in disease diagnostics.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Exhibition, Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK. t.albrecht@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Raquel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Fraccari
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, P.za, Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carminati
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, P.za, Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piantanida
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Exhibition, Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK. t.albrecht@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leontidou
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, P.za, Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Exhibition, Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK. t.albrecht@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Albrecht
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D005898:Glass; D036103:Nanotechnology; D011791:Quartz
chemical_list: D011791:Quartz; D004247:DNA