Single Molecule DNA Detection

The development of single-molecule detection (SMD) technologies that allow measurements of intra and intermolecular interactions at the most fundamental level has greatly advanced basic research in biophysics and biochemistry over the past two decades. Incorporated with the use of a variety of new molecular probes, probe strategies and functional nanomaterials, SMD has recently been demonstrated as a powerful tool in medical applications. The use of SMD in quantitative study of both specific DNA sequences and mutations has resulted in extraordinary performance characteristics (sensitivity, specificity and accuracy) unmatched by conventional ensemble detection methods. The rapid advances in microfluidics and MEMS technologies have further made possible on-chip SMD analysis in a high-throughput and cost-effective manner. An integrated molecular analysis platform based on a combination of SMD, nanotechnology and microfluidics promises to tackle the current technological challenges in genomic analysis such as amplification-free detection of genomic DNA and accurate quantification of minute gene expression changes.