Oxford Nanopore Technologies Limited

Steven Paul White

Gurdial Singh Sanghera

James Anthony Clarke

Stuart William Reid

Terence Alan Reid

David Andrew Fish

Terrence Alan Reid

Nanopore Arrays for Sequencing Nucleic Acids

To form a layer separating two volumes of aqueous solution, there is used an apparatus comprising elements defining a chamber, the elements including a body of non-conductive material having formed therein at least one recess opening into the chamber, the recess containing an electrode. A pre-treatment coating of a hydrophobic fluid is applied to the body across the recess. Aqueous solution, having amphiphilic molecules added thereto, is flowed across the body to cover the recess so that aqueous solution is introduced into the recess from the chamber and a layer of the amphiphilic molecules forms across the recess separating a volume of aqueous solution introduced into the recess from the remaining volume of aqueous solution.

Formation of layers of amphiphilic molecules

Nanopore arrays for sequencing nucleic acids

Arrangements are disclosed for measuring small electrical currents with high sensitivity, for example in the context of sensing molecular entities, for example via interactions between the molecular entities and a membrane protein inserted in an amphiphilic membrane. In one arrangement there is provided a current sensing circuit () configured to integrate the current output by a sensor element () during each of a plurality of sensing frames (). In each sensing frame () first and second analogue samples of the integral are taken during first and second time windows (). A readout circuit () processes the first and second analogue samples to output a digital output signal representing the current output by the sensor element (). The processing comprises analogue to digital conversion processing and output processing. The output processing is performed exclusively during periods outside of the first and second time windows.

Apparatus and methods for measuring an electrical current

A sensor system () for measuring an electrical signal across a lipid bilayer is formed by a cell () and an electrical reader unit () which are connectable together. The cell () is capable of supporting a lipid bilayer across an aperture () in a membrane () and has a construction which is cheap to manufacture. The reader unit () is a portable device which monitors an electrical signal generated in the connected cell () to allow analysis of that electrical signal. The sensor system () is intended for use outside of a laboratory setting.

Lipid bilayer sensor system

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Oxford, United Kingdom

Steven Paul White