Comprehensive quantitative analysis of single-molecule proteins using ribosome fusion nanopore technology

Abstract

The detection and analysis of proteins is important for science and medicine and methods for sequencing and synthesising proteins have been developed to assist with this. The analysis of single molecules provides more detailed and targeted information and the development of single-molecule techniques has helped to advance molecular research. Professor Sotaro Uemura, The University of Tokyo, Japan, has over 20 years experience in this field of research, with a focus on singling out and measuring single-molecule proteins using optical tweezers, fluorescence imaging and other techniques. Labelling is a key technology that facilitates the detection of target molecules and molecular sorting by the labelling process provides numerous advantages. However, there are restrictions to this technique, leading to Uemura's involvement in utilising label-free technology to assist in the detection and measurement of single molecules. Nanopore measurement is interesting, especially in its use as a DNA sequencer but, using this method, it isn't possible to pinpoint which molecule each signal comes from. Uemura is interested in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an additional analysis method that can link the signals. He is working with collaborators to use machine learning to determine which molecules are producing the signals identified by nanopore measurement.