Tiny Pores, Big Discovery — Real-Time Tracking of Volatile Molecules
With the advent of science and technology, scientists are capable of innovating at ever faster pace. In a recent study done on nanopore technology, researchers were capable of identifying chemical groups with high precision. This is a remarkable discovery as this method could be used for rapid and precise chemical analysis of compounds.
Here, the mechanism lies in engineered protein pores, which can specifically bind to target sites. In this case, the aldehyde molecules. Aldehydes can temporarily bind to these engineered nanopore molecules and provide a precise understanding of their concentration as well as identity. This is possible because electrical signals are produced by their interaction.
Aldehydes are known to be a key biomarkers of human health. These are a part of a large class of organic molecules known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These organic compounds are known to get released from a person’s breath as well as bodily fluids. Any deviation from the optimal range will help us detect various diseases. Their levels are directly linked to diseases such as cancer, respiratory illness and viral infections, including Covid-19.
Earlier, researchers studied these using traditional techniques, such as mass spectrometry. But as these techniques could be costly and cumbersome, this powerful technique is not preferred. However, the new nanopore technology helps in providing same powerful data in a compact way. It helps detect chemical information at the single-molecule scale. Hence, this could be a potential breakthrough innovation that opens new possibilities for rapid and accessible point-of-care diagnostics.
In this system, engineered protein nanopores selectively ‘trap’ individual aldehyde molecules as they travel through them, utilizing thiol–aldehyde chemistry — a form of dynamic covalent chemistry not previously applied to nanopore detection. Each molecule briefly and reversibly reacts inside the pore, creating unique electrical patterns that act as molecular fingerprints. The sensitivity of this device is remarkable, even allowing it to distinguish between molecular isomers — a challenge for many traditional detection methods.
As proof of concept, the researchers demonstrated that a single nanopore could rapidly differentiate various aldehydes, capturing over 400 detection events within just 10 minutes. This achievement underscores the precision and efficiency of the single-molecule sensing technique.
The researchers suggest that this platform could be expanded to detect other biologically significant chemical groups, building upon the aldehyde-sensing model. Looking ahead, they envision a versatile, low-cost sensing workflow that uses thiol–aldehyde chemistry as its foundation, one capable of converting a wide range of molecular targets into aldehydes for quick, portable, and user-friendly single-molecule detection. With help of tiny pores big discoveries are being made which will be potentially useful for humanity.
