Informatics and Machine Learning

14Nanopore Detection – A Case Study

Numerous prior book, journal, and patent publications by the author are drawn upon extensively throughout this chapter [1–68]. Almost all of the journal publications are open access. These publications can typically be found online at either the author's personal website (www.meta‐logos.com) or with one of the following online publishers: www.m‐hikari.com, or bmcbioinformatics.biomedcentral.com.

A nanopore detector (ND) is based on a membrane that separates two chambers of electrolytic solution with a single nanopore providing a channel across that membrane. The detector is based on ionic current observations when a potential difference is applied across the membrane. Objects drawn into the nanopore cause ionic current blockades that form the basis of the molecular observations (i.e. observations derived from the ionic current imprints, or blockades, due to captured or translocating molecules). With channel current detection, particle analysis can be done on solutions to obtain particle concentrations, solution mixture composition, and even molecular dynamics. Early channel current detectors had millimeter diameters (0.1 mm) and were used to count cell concentrations and mixture compositions [224] . Information obtained about the excluded cell volume was used in classifying blood cells as red or white, for example, the ratio of which provided important data for medical diagnostics. The 100 μm‐scale pores of Coulter were devised in the early ...