BioE Seminar Series Presents: John Kasianowicz

Department of Bioengineering Seminar Series 

John Kasianowicz, Ph.D 

“Sequencing DNA, Sizing Polymers, Identifying Proteins (& More) with Nanometer-Scale Pores” 

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
105 Shillman Hall

ABSTRACT:

Biological nanometer-scale protein pores are the basis of nerve and muscle activity.  With the goal of providing low-cost measurements for health care applications, we have been adapting several types of nanopores for the detection, characterization, and identification of molecules.  For example, when a single molecule enters a pore, its physical and chemical properties control both the degree by which it reduces the ionic current that otherwise flows freely and its dwell time there.  Thus far, our work led to two novel DNA sequencing methods (and a critical assessment of a third technique)1-5, the ability to discriminate between individual polymers based on their size6,7, the means to quantitate protein concentration8, and a technique for identifying subtly different species of metallo-nanoparticles9.  In addition, we recently demonstrated that a nanopore can also be used to identify proteins10-13.  This new method could markedly improve healthcare diagnostics and allow more blood analyses to be performed at point-of-care facilities.  We are also investigating the possible use of nanopores as the read head in molecular-based memory storage devices and the role of ion channels in the competition between bacteria.  This ongoing work is a collaborative effort with groups at Columbia University (Jingyue Ju), CY Cergy Paris Université (Abdelghani Oukhaled), Freiburg University (Jan Behrends), and the DoD (Sina Bavari, Rekha Panchal, Captain Rick Gussio, and Colonel Kelly Halverson).

BIO:  

Dr. Kasianowicz is the Leader of the Nanobiotechnology Project in the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST. He earned a Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a M.A. in Physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a B.A. in Physics (with Distinction) from Boston University. He was a National Academy of Sciences/ National Research Council Research Associate in the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory at NIST prior to joining the staff and becoming a Leader of the Biomolecular Materials Group. Currently, John directs the research efforts of staff scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate/undergraduate students. 

John pioneered research in five areas: 1) single molecule characterization, quantification, and identification; 2) nanopore-based DNA sequencing (he published work in 3 of the 4 methods proposed for this application); 3) elucidating the mechanisms of anthrax toxin action;, 4) single molecule thermodynamics and kinetics; and 5) development of new methods for membrane protein structure determination. His seminal work in these fields opened other areas of investigation (e.g., nanopore-based single molecule force spectroscopy), new conferences dedicated to these subjects, and NIH- and DARPA-based funding initiatives. A range of companies (e.g., IBM, Oxford Nanopore, Illumina, Genia Technology (Roche), Stratos, Electronic BioSciences, and Quantum Biosystems) have been pursuing John’s applied research to develop practical devices for the electronic detection and characterization of individual biological molecules. Several that are using his nanopore-based DNA sequencing technologies are currently valued at $1.8B. His current major foci are the development of nanoscale electronic systems to measure the fundamental properties of single molecules. The work could be applied to storing and retrieving information in molecules, and simultaneously quantifying many biomarkers (proteins, DNA, RNA, etc.) in single cells, tissue, and blood. The latter work would have a marked impact on understanding basic cellular mechanisms and aid the development of quantitative personalized medicine.