Solid state nanopores for gene expression profiling

Recently, nanopore technology has been introduced for genome analysis. Here we show results related to the possibility of preparing “engineered solid state nanopores”. The nanopores were fabricated on a suspended Si3N4 membrane by Focused Ion Beam (FIB) drilling and chemically functionalized in order to covalently bind oligonucleotides (probes) on their surface. Our data show the stable effect of DNA attachment on the ionic current measured through the nanopore, making it possible to conceive and develop a selective biosensor for gene expression profiling.