MicroRNA Detection at Femtomolar Concentrations with Isothermal Amplification and a Biological Nanopore

Abstract

Nanopore sensing is a powerful tool for the rapid and label-free detection of oligonucleotides, including microRNA. When moving towards actual diagnostic applications, detection of microRNA at low concentrations is one of the significant issues to be addressed. We here describe a method to detect ultra-low concentrations of microRNA using isothermal amplification and nanopore technology. Using this method, the amplified DNA from 1 fM of target microRNA can be measured by a nanopore measurement.