Identification of DNA base-pairing via tunnel-current decay

摘要

We propose a new approach for reading the sequence of a DNA molecule passing between electrodes on a nanopore, using hydrogen-bond mediated tunneling signals. The base-electrode interaction is modeled using a nucleobase functionalized STM probe that is pulled away from a nucleoside monolayer. Watson-Crick recognition results in slow-decay of the tunnel current, uniquely characteristic of the base-pair in over half the reads. Thirteen independent reads would yield the desired 99.99% accuracy.