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US 2023/0266265 A1Published application
Nanopore system for sensing using identification molecules and method thereof
AssigneeImec Vzw
InventorsMark VEUGELERS, Koen MARTENS, Pol VAN DORPE
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Abstract
The current disclosure relates to methods and systems for detecting a target molecule in a sample by using identification molecules linked to assay molecules, wherein the assay molecules bind the target, and where the identification molecules are isolated from the sample and run through a nanopore sensor for detecting the target molecule.
Claims20
A method for detecting one or more target molecules in a sample using a nanopore sensor, the method comprising:
- providing (S1) at least one assay-identification molecule, wherein the assay-identification molecule comprises at least one identification molecule linked to an assay molecule, wherein the identification molecule is able to generate a unique identification signal when translocated through a nanopore sensor and wherein each assay molecule is able to bind to a target molecule of the one or more target molecules;
- incubating (S2) the at least one assay-identification molecule with a sample potentially comprising one or more target molecules, thereby allowing the at least one assay-identification molecule to bind to the one or more target molecules forming at least one target-assay-identification molecule, wherein the correlation between the unique identification signal of the assay-identification molecule and the bound target molecule is known;
- removing (S3) any assay-identification molecule that has not bound any target molecule from the sample;
- separating (S4) the at least one identification molecule from the at least one target-assay-identification molecule;
- translocating (S5) the separated at least one identification molecule through a nanopore sensor to obtain at least one unique identification signal;
- and
- detecting (S6) any presence of the one or more target molecules in a sample by correlating the obtained at least one unique identification signal to the one or more target molecules.
4 more elements
A system for detecting and/or quantifying a target molecule in a sample, the system comprising:
- a microfluidic delivery system configured for the delivery of the sample and at least one assay-identification molecule;
- a detection unit comprising two reservoirs, where the reservoirs are separated by a nanopore, wherein the microfluidic delivery system is connected with one of the two reservoirs of the detection unit, wherein one of the two reservoirs comprises the identification molecule, the detection unit is configured for detecting any presence of the one or more target molecules in a sample by correlating the obtained at least one unique identification signal to the one or more target molecules;
- a control unit configured to control the delivery of the molecules of the microfluidic delivery system and the detection unit and providing instructions to the system for:
- incubating the at least one assay-identification molecule with the sample;
- removing any assay-identification molecule that has not bound any target molecule from the sample;
- separating the at least one identification molecule from the at least one target-assay-identification molecule;
- and
- translocating the separated at least one identification molecule through a nanopore sensor for obtaining the at least one unique identification signal.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.