In a recent ACS Nano paper, "Differentiation of Short, Single-Stranded DNA Homopolymers in Solid-State Nanopores", we show that small solid-state nanopores similar in size to protein nanopores, combined with an optimized setup, can differentiate between single-stranded DNA homopolymers (with A, C, and T bases).
Selected press:
Penn News: Penn Research Makes Advance in Nanotech Gene Sequencing Technique
Genome Web: UPenn Team Shows Solid-state Nanopore Can Distinguish Different DNA Homopolymers
Graduate student Matt Hickman received a 2012 NSF Graduate Student Fellowship. Matt’s journey took him from high energy physics to his new passion for single molecule biophysics experiments using graphene nanopores (March 2012).
Results from our collaboration with Ken Shepard's group at Columbia University were just published in Nature Methods: "Integrated Nanopore Sensing Platform with Sub-Microsecond Temporal Resolution"
Selected press:
Penn News: Penn Works with Columbia Engineers to Increase Speed of Single-Molecule Measurements
Graduate student Matt Puster received the NSF-IGERT Graduate Nanotechnology Fellowship (Feb 2012).
New NIH grant awarded to our lab to advance nanotechnology for DNA sequencing.
Selected press:
NIH News: NHGRI funds development of revolutionary DNA sequencing technologies
Penn News: Penn Researchers Awarded $1.5 Million to Advance Nanotechnology for Gene Sequencing
Former post-doc Meni Wanunu started an Assistant Professor position at Northeastern University (August 2011).
In a recent Nature Communications paper, "Collective fluorescence enhancement in nanoparticle clusters", we show that blinking nanorods (NRs) interact with each other in a cluster, and the interactions affect the blinking statistics.
Selected press:
Penn News: Penn Physicists Observe Campfire Effect in Blinking Nanorod Semiconductors
Graduate student Jessamyn Fairfield received an NSF travel fellowship to attend the Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI) in Costa Rica on Scalable, Functional Nanomaterials (August 2011).
Post-doc Chris Merchant received the AAAS Science Policy Fellowship (July 2011).
Graduate student Lauren Willis used high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to image gold particles attached to peptides wrapped around individual single wall nantubes (SWNTs), which allowed quantitative analysis of particle spacing and configuration to confirm the computational model of the complex. This paper, Computational Design of Virus-Like Protein Assemblies on Carbon Nanotube Surfaces, was selected for the cover of Science.
We are seeking postdoc applications from outstanding candidates to join our effort on the advancement of fundamental science of ion/biomolecule/nanopore systems and the development of new sequencing technologies based on nanopores in graphene-based and silicon nitride-based platforms. Expertise in nanofabrication, electron beam lithography, transmission electron microscopy, electrical measurements with nanopores and microfluidics, biological sample preparation and handling, is a plus. Please send your interest to Prof. Drndic at drndic@physics.upenn.edu.
Graduate student Kim Venta received an NSF Graduate Student Fellowship. Kim works at an intersection of condensed matter physics, biophysics and chemistry on understanding and developing approaches for biomolecule manipulation and analysis, including DNA sequencing, using graphene.
The Economist published an article in its March 10th 2011 issue featuring our work on DNA translocation through graphene nanopores, entitled Nanopore sequencing: Towards the 15-minute genome.
Our group is preparing presentations for the upcoming Biophysical Society and American Physical Society meetings. At the annual BPS meeting, Chris Merchant will give a talk on DNA translocations through nanopores created in graphene membranes on March 9th at 8:15 AM, and Kimberly Venta will present a poster in the poster session on March 9th from 10:30-12:30. At the APS March Meeting, Jessamyn Fairfield will give a talk about Memory, Photoconductivity, and Traps in Semiconducting Nanocrystal Arrays on March 23rd at 4:54 PM, and Chris Merchant will give a talk about DNA translocation through graphene nanopores on March 23rd at 12:27 PM.
In our most recent paper, "Discrimination of methylcytosine from hydroxymethylcytosine in DNA molecules", we investigate the physical properties of DNA with modified cytosines. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that polar cytosine modifications affect internal base pair dynamics, while experimental evidence suggests a correlation between the modified cytosine's polarity, DNA flexibility, and duplex stability. On the basis of these physical differences, solid-state nanopores can rapidly discriminate among DNA fragments with mC or hmC modification by sampling a few hundred molecules in the solution. This work has been reported in Epigenetics Headlines and Chemistry Views.
Our new paper, "Rapid electronic detection of probe-specific microRNAs using thin nanopore sensors,", published in Nature Nanotechnology and featured on the journal cover page, develops a platform for electronic detection of probe-hybridized microRNAs. We find that reducing the thickness of the membrane containing the nanopore leads to increased signal amplitudes from biomolecules, and reducing the diameter of the nanopore allows the detection and discrimination of small nucleic acids based on differences in their physical dimensions. The work was done in collaboration with New England Biolabs.
Selected press:
Penn News: University of Pennsylvania Scientists Develop Method for Detecting MicroRNA From Living Cells
AZoNano: MicroRNA Detection Using Nanopores
Nano: Detecting microRNA from living cells
HealthCanal: University of Pennsylvania Scientists Develop Method for Detecting MicroRNA From Living Cells
R&D Magazine: Scientists develop a new method for detecting microRNA from living cells
Research from our group was presented at the Workshop on Electronic Transport in Nanoengineered Materials, at the University of Chicago September 16-18, 2010. Marija Drndic gave a talk on "Nanogap quantum dot photoconductivity", Matt Puster presented the poster "Electronic Transport Imaged via Electrostatic Force Microscopy in PbSe Nanocrystal Arrays", and Lauren Willis and Jessamyn Fairfield presented the poster "Memory in Photoconductivity of Nanocrystal Arrays".
On August 24, 2010, Marija Drndic attended the Recovery Innovation Report White House event.
Vice President Joe Biden detailed the role the Recovery Act has played in
funding innovation.
Meni Wanunu and Lauren Willis each gave a talk to high school teachers as part of the Research Experience for Teachers program organized by the Nano-Bio Interface Center (NBIC) at Penn.
Highlights on our work are mentioned in the article The Road to the $1000 Genome - A Roundup of Sequencing Technology Developments by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) on August 3, 2010.
On July 30th, 2010, Marija Drndic gave a talk to the Penn Summer Science Academy (PSSA)
and the Quarknet High School Students.
Read more about Penn's high school outreach and physics department outreach.
New research from our group on graphene
nanopores was published in Nano Letters. Our paper, DNA translocation through graphene nanopores, demonstrates DNA translocation through synthetic nanopore materials with atomic thickness and electrical addressability, which may serve as a step toward nanopore-based DNA sequencing. We envision graphene-based nanopore devices that sense and control the electric potential locally at the nanopore and are capable of measuring transverse current across the pore aperture.
Selected press:
Penn News: First Step Towards Electronic DNA Sequencing
Institute of Nanotechnology: Nanoscale platform detects single DNA molecules
Graphene Times: Penn Researchers Provide First Step Towards Electronic DNA Sequencing
Nanotechnology Now: Translocation Through Graphene Nanopores
EE Times: Researchers say carbon-based platform beats silicon for detection
ScienceDaily: First Step Toward Electronic DNA Sequencing
PhysOrg.com: Translocation through graphene nanopores
IEEE Spectrum: The Race to Design a Nanopore Gene Sequencer Heats Up
Post-doc Meni Wanunu gave an invited talk at the Biosensing with Channels summer school in Berder Island, France in August 2010. Graduate Student Kimberly Venta presented a poster titled "Graphene Nanopores" at this conference as well.
Post-doc Meni Wanunu gave the UPenn Department of Physics and Astronomy Condensed Matter Seminar on April 28th, 2010.
Graduate student Jessamyn Fairfield was awarded the 'Best Poster Award' at the NaNaX 4:Nanoscience with Nanocrystals conference on April 14th, 2010 in Tutzing, Germany.
Research from our lab was featured on the History Channel show The Works on July 24th, 2008
| THE WORKS: POWER TOOLS (Thursday, July 24th at 10pm ET/PT) Since the Egyptians invented them three thousand years ago, power tools have transformed the face of the earth. As we trace their evolution, we find out their hidden commonalities: from power tools that slice mountains in half to new breakthroughs in nanotechnology that enable them to literally split hairs. Follow the life of a power tool as it goes from an idea to our garage shelf as we discover how they're being used in surprising ways in sports, medicine and art. |
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Invited lecture on TEBAL: Nanosculpting devices with electrons in a
transmission electron microscope by Marija Drndic at the
APS March Meeting 2008,
Focus session Nanotechnology II, in New Orleans, March 10-14, 2008.
(Abstract)
Graduate student Michael Fischbein was awarded the
2007 Graduate Student Research Excellence Award from the
Nano/Bio Interface Center. The associated 15-minutes presentation will
preceed this year's keynote lecture by Charles Lieber during the
NanoDay@Penn
on October 24, 2007.
Interdisciplinary Workshop
Excited state processes in electronic and bio nanomaterials (ESP2007)
Los Alamos National Laboratory, October 1-4, 2007
Graduate student Michael Fischbein was awarded the
Elias Burstein Prize in Condensed Matter Physics
for
his creative and prolific work on nanolithography and its technological applications.
Graduate student Lauren Willis was awarded the
NSF-IGERT graduate fellowship.
Selected press releases about TEBAL nanofabrication technique:
IEEE Spectrum:
Power tools for making nanoscale objects, July 2007.
Nature Nanotechnology research highlight:
Electron beam lithography: Body-sculpting, May 2007.
PhysOrg.com:
Scientists Hand-Make Devices Smaller than 10 Nanometers, April 2007.
Selected previous events:
Werner B. Teutsch Prize awarded to Lauren Willis (2006).
PECASE Award (Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers)
awarded to Marija Drndic (2005).
NSF-IGERT graduate fellowship awarded to Michael Fischbein (2004-2007).
Arnold M. Denenstein Prize awarded to Michael Fischbein (2004).
2011, Marija Drndic