Accelerating Technical and Market Readiness of Solid-State Nanopores

Solid-state nanopores—small holes in thin membranes comparable in size to individual molecules—are promising candidates as sensors with which to revolutionize DNA sequencing, personalized medicine, point-of-care diagnostics, and next-generation information storage methods. A method by which these nanopores can be fabricated on an industrial scale was recently invented, but challenges remain, particularly in quality-controlling source materials with which to make them and in analyzing and interpreting the signals generated. This project seeks to both develop generalized analysis methods and software for nanopore applications, as well as optimize the manufacturing processes upstream of sensor fabrication, providing a recipe for reliable and consistent materials to be used in scaling up fabrication of solid-state nanopores going forward, greatly increasing the pace of academic research and making these critical sensors viable on an industrial scale.

Faculty Supervisor:

Marc Ekker;Andre Beauchemin

Student:

Kyle Briggs;Dmytro Lomovtsev

Partner:

Northern Nanopore Instruments Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Service industry

University:

University of Ottawa