Explorations of Nanotubes and Nanopore Arrays and their Interactions with Biomolecules

Mehrmanesh, Laura Shireen

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Year:: 2008
Contributor:: Mehrmanesh, Laura Shireen (creator); Xu, Jimmy (director); Xu, Jimmy (reader); Tripathi, Anubhav (reader); Miller, Kenneth (reader); Brown University. Division of Engineering. Electrical Sciences and Computer Engineering (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: AAO; protein; DNA; Nanotubes; Nanopores; Electrophoresis
Extent:: xix, 110 p.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7301/Z08K77G7

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Abstract:: We explore the interactions between engineered nanoscale structures (primarily nanopores and nanotubes) and biomolecules on three inter-related fronts: DNA and protein separation, drug delivery, and Massively Multiplexed Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (MM-FISH). Central to all of the engineered nanostructures discussed is the self-organized, highly uniform, highly tunable, high aspect ratio anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanopore array template. We focus on DNA and protein separation, creating devices that exploit novel nanopore-DNA and nanotube-DNA interactions. The long-term goal of this exploration is to bring DNA and protein analysis to a new level of portability, throughput, sensitivity and speed. The most promising direction that has emerged from this biomolecule separation exploration is the Multi-gate AAO Nanopore Array Platform. When fully realized, this platform will employ a series of vertically-oriented AAO membranes, each having a different pore size (2-200 nm). This compact multi-diameter array set has the potential to separate complex biofluids into their fundamental components in a single run, minimizing time, cost, and sample. Our approach to developing this platform was to create a proof-of-concept prototype device: a single-gate AAO DNA electrophoresis microfluidic chip with pores that are 20 nm in diameter and 60 ?m in length. These chips are made by fabricating poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) double-T pinched injection microfluidic channels, manually inserting an AAO membrane into the separation channel, and then sealing with PDMS. A photomultiplier tube is used to measure the eluting fluorescently-labeled DNA bands' intensity as a function of time. We have separated HindIII-digested lambda DNA with our prototype, analyzed the electropherograms, and looked at fragment mobilities in terms of the three classic mobility regimes (Ogston sieving, reptation, and the plateau regime). While our separations are not yet complete high-resolution separations, they are the world's first results for this type of approach and our devices are already extremely fast, sensitive and compact. Future work includes improving the reproducibility and resolution of our separation profiles, determining which mobility regime the devices operate in, and expanding this platform to protein separation.
Notes:: Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Brown University (2009)

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Rights: In Copyright
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Citation

Mehrmanesh, Laura Shireen, "Explorations of Nanotubes and Nanopore Arrays and their Interactions with Biomolecules" (2008). Engineering Theses and Dissertations, Electrical Sciences and Computer Engineering Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.7301/Z08K77G7

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