Enhanced Discriminability of Viral Vectors in Viscous Nanopores.

Achieving safe and efficient gene therapy hinges upon the inspection of genomes enclosed within individual nano-carriers to mitigate potential health risks associated with empty or fragment-filled vectors. Here solid-state nanopore sensing is reported for identifications of intermediate adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors in liquid. The method exploits the phenomenon of translocation slowdown induced by the viscosity of salt water-organic mixtures.

Identifying Viral Vector Characteristics by Nanopore Sensing.

Using viral vectors as gene delivery vehicles for gene therapy necessitates their quality control. Here, we report on nanopore sensing for nondestructively inspecting genomes inside the nanoscale cargoes at the single-molecule level. Using ionic current measurements, we motion-tracked the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors as they translocated through a solid-state nanopore.

Safety and Efficacy of Biopsy in Patients with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas.

Background: Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas are aggressive tumors that carry a poor prognosis with a 2-year survival rate of <10%. The imaging appearance is often pathognomonic, and surgical biopsy is not mandatory to initiate treatment in children. Studies of biopsy samples provide insight into the disease's molecular pathobiology and open prospects for targeted therapy.

Microfluidic Device for Simple Diagnosis of Plant Growth Condition by Detecting miRNAs from Filtered Plant Extracts.

Plants are exposed to a variety of environmental stress, and starvation of inorganic phosphorus can be a major constraint in crop production. In plants, in response to phosphate deficiency in soil, miR399, a type of microRNA (miRNA), is up-regulated. By detecting miR399, the early diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency stress in plants can be accomplished.