Controlled tunnel gap device for sequencing polymers
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
InventorsStuart LINDSAY, Shuai CHANG, Jin HE, Peiming ZHANG, Shuo HUANG
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Abstract
The invention includes compositions, devices, and methods for analyzing a polymer and/or polymer unit. The polymer may be a homo or hetero-polymer such as DNA, RNA, a polysaccharide, or a peptide. The device includes electrodes that form a tunnel gap through which the polymer can pass. The electrodes are functionalized with a reagent attached thereto, and the reagent is capable of forming a transient bond to a polymer unit. When the transient bond forms between the reagent and the unit, a detectable signal is generated and used to analyze the polymer.
Claims4
A method of analyzing a polymer or polymer unit, the method comprising:
- a) forming a transient bond between a unit of the polymer and a first electrode functionalized with a first reagent and between the unit of the polymer and a second electrode functionalized with a second reagent;
- and
- b) detecting a detectable signal when the transient bonds form.
A method of sequencing a polymer, the method comprising
- a) allowing a unit of the polymer to flow into a tunnel gap formed between a first electrode functionalized with a first reagent and a second electrode functionalized with a second reagent;
- b) forming a transient bond between a unit of the polymer and the first and second reagents;
- c) detecting a detectable signal when the transient bonds forms;
- and
- d) repeating steps a)-c) for each sequential unit of the polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.