A hybrid resistive pulse-optical detection platform for microfluidic experiments.

Resistive-pulse sensing is a label-free method for characterizing individual particles as they pass through ion-conducting channels or pores. During a resistive pulse experiment, the ionic current through a conducting channel is monitored as particles suspended in the solution translocate through the channel. The amplitude of the current decrease during a translocation, or 'pulse', depends not only on the ratio of the particle and channel sizes, but also on the particle position, which is difficult to resolve with the resistive pulse signal alone.