Macromolecular transport through nanoscale pores

 

Nanopores are magnifying glasses into the world of single molecules

For more than ten years, scientists have performed experiments on synthetic or biological nanopores. In these experiments, two water compartments are connected only via a tiny pore in a membrane. If voltage is applied, one observes an electric current that originates from the transport of ions through the pore. The current changes if one of the compartments is filled with a solution of charged biomolecules, e.g. DNA, the current changes. Short pulses of current enhancement or current reduction are observable. Dependent on the biomolecule different signatures occur.

Therefore, scientists hope to fulfill the dream of future medicine: A fast and cheap method to determine the genome, so that individually tailored therapy is possible. The signature of a biomolecule, however, is weak and the process only takes some milliseconds. A decent theory of this system is also not available. Therefore, we want to investigate the phenomena with means of computer simulations.

 

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