The nanopore-FET: a nanofluidic-nanoelectronic silicon-based device for enabling proteomics

Determining the DNA sequence of the human genome not only transformed biology but also revolutionized medicine. To make the next step towards precision and personalized medicine, the human proteome ( i.e. , the complete set of human-produced proteins) needs to be determined as well. But that requires a more sensitive and higher throughput technique than is available today, and, very importantly, a technique that can perform measurements on unaltered, single proteins, such that there is access to the fundamental protein properties. A very promising, recent technique is based on nanopore sensing [1 , 2] . In essence, the working principle consists of driving an analyte in an electrolyte solution through a nanopore between 2 reservoirs, while measuring either the ionic current variations through the nanopore or the voltage variations inside the nanopore. The fast translocation speed of proteins, as compared to DNA e.g. , prevents the general applicability of the technique [3 , 4] . To overcome this challenge, we are focusing on an implementation that embeds a solid-state nanopore into a nanoscale field-effect transistor (nanopore-FET) (see Fig. 1 ) [5 , 6] . This approach brings the amplifier as close as possible to the nanopore, promising increased bandwidth.