Our Lab’s New Paper, Led by Postdoctoral Fellow Neeraj Soni, Unveiling a Novel Strategy for Single-Molecule Protein Analysis
In this work, we demonstrate that small oligonucleotides 🧬 can act as proxies for cysteine residues to ultimately reveal protein identity!
We further show how protein translocation speed can be regulated to enhance time resolution and how the delivery of single-file proteins is significantly improved using negatively charged oligonucleotides. Finally, we apply a machine learning approach to identify specific proteins within a mixture, highlighting the potential of this strategy for advancing protein fingerprinting and single-molecule analysis.
Click here to read the article
Prof. Meller preseting the lab resent work at the CECAM workshop in Cagliari, italy
Prof. Amit Meller presented our lab’s recent work at the CECAM workshop, “Nanopores: From Basics to Applications.”
His talk focused on the use of solid-state nanopores for label-free identification of mitochondrial and cell-free DNA, as well as for protein fingerprinting.
Read more on CECAM website
Meller Lab Beach Gathering
Our team enjoyed a fun and relaxing day at the beach, filled with sunshine, good food, and great company. It was a perfect break from the lab and a chance to connect outside work. Thanks to everyone who joined!
Machine Learning Enables Rapid Detection of Unamplified mtDNA
We are excited to share groundbreaking research from out lab. Recently featured on the university's website, showcases an innovative approach for detecting mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) without the need for amplification—a significant advancement in the fields of diagnostics and genomics.
Our innovative nanotechnology enables direct analysis of native mitochondrial DNA without amplification, dramatically improving both speed and accuracy. This breakthrough will accelerate research into mitochondrial dysfunctions linked to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Malak Hijazi presented her research in faculty Seminar title : “ Studying fragmentation distribution of cell free DNA(cfDNA) in healthy and sick patients using solid-state nanopores”
In her seminar, Malak discussed the use of solid-state nanopores to detect cell-free DNA (cfDNA) length variations, a promising approach for non-invasive disease monitoring through liquid biopsy.
Solid-state nanopores enable direct, label-free, single-molecule analysis of cfDNA fragment sizes without the need for amplification, avoiding biases common in qPCR and NGS. By analyzing ion-current signatures during translocation, this method reveals detailed size distributions, enhancing diagnostic accuracy. It offers a fast, cost-effective tool with strong potential for early detection and point-of-care use in oncology.
Great work Malak!
Check out our review in Analytical Chemistry on The Emergence of Nanofluidics for Single-Biomolecule Manipulation and Sensing
In this paper, we explore how tiny fluid channels—called nanochannels—are being used to study individual molecules like DNA and proteins. These nanofluidic devices can stretch and organize molecules, making their detection more precise. They are already used for genome mapping and showing great promise for identifying and studying single proteins, which will revolutionize next-generation medical tests.
Read the full paper here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06684
