Oxford Nanopore Proteomics
Oxford Nanopore a pioneer in single molecule electronic DNA/RNA sequencing is developing single molecule protein analysis methods
As part of our multi-omics offering, our R&D pipeline includes protein analysis methods. Our goal is to enable comprehensive insights into the proteome, empowering researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals with the tools they need to drive innovation and discovery.
Our approach to protein analysis
Oxford Nanopore is actively developing methods to directly analyse peptides and proteins at the single molecule level, leveraging the unique capabilities of our nanopore technology. This approach offers the potential to characterise proteins from the amino acid level upwards, providing insights at unprecedented detail.
- Technology: The technology utilises propriety nanopores to detect individual amino acids on polypeptide chains translocating through the pore. Engineered motor proteins like helicases or unfoldases are used to translocate either DNA-short peptide hybrids through the pore, or to unfold and translocate full-length proteins through the pore. Oxford Nanopore research programs include developing chemical and enzymatic sample preparation methods, working on efficient delivery of polypeptides to nanopores using molecular motors, building methods to create large, labelled training sets for training deep learning models to identify individual amino acids and engineering bespoke nanopores for optimal signal separation of the amino acids.
1) Peptide & Protein classification
Timescale: Future technology, in research phase
We are developing methods to classify signals corresponding to peptides and proteins, enabling detection and quantification of known proteins within a sample. Our goal is to collect precise measurements that can inform everything from basic research to clinical diagnostics.
2) Protein Fingerprinting
Timescale: Future technology, in research phase
On our route towards our ultimate goal of de novo protein sequencing, we believe that we may be able to identify a subset of amino acids enabling identification of partial sequence information.
3) Protein Sequencing
Timescale: Future technology, in research phase
We are working towards methods to enable full de novo protein sequencing. By controllably threading polypeptides through our nanopore sensors, we're working towards methods that can identify amino acids and their post translational modifications in sequence, offering a direct readout of protein sequence.
)
Hagan Bayley, University of Oxford: Leading work on the application of nanopore technology for protein analysis. Recent research on enhancing detection of phosphorylated amino acids.
Jeff Nivala, University of Washington – Leading work on unfoldase-mediated delivery of whole polypeptides to nanopores.
Cees Dekker, TU Delft – Leading work on delivery of peptide-DNA conjugates to nanopores using DNA helicases.