Unlocking the power of nanopores

Scientists take one step closer to uncovering new sensing technology.

Scientists at University of Leeds are part of an international collaboration that has described a new approach to designing proteins from scratch.

The approach uses Transmembrane β-barrel pores (TMBs), nanosized proteins which are extensively used for single-molecule DNA and RNA sequencing –an analysis method that can help detect disease.

TMBs also enable the shrinking of a wide array of sensing and sequencing applications into portable USB-size devices and point-of-care technologies, such as disease diagnostic tools.

The TMB pores generated in the study have custom shapes and properties, opening up new opportunities for the analysis of molecules which is critical to develop new treatments of disease.

Read Sculpting conducting nanopore size and shape through de novo protein design on the Science website.

Read the full press release on the Faculty if Biological Sciences website.