A Pinhole to the Proteome: The Physics of Analyzing Polymers with Solid-State Nanopores

Event Date:
2025-11-20T16:00:00
2025-11-20T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 201
Speaker:
Vincent Tabard-Cossa, University of Ottawa
Related Upcoming Events:
Department Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Everyone
Local Contact:

Georg Rieger (rieger@phas.ubc.ca) and Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

Abstract: 

In the last decade, the emergence of single-molecule DNA and RNA nanopore sequencing has transformed genomics. Nanopores are molecular size holes in thin membranes that can electrically identify single molecules as they thread through. Yet, applications of nanopores extend far beyond the current success of the technology, and nanopores are being explored to decode digital information stored on synthetic molecules, quantify disease biomarkers, fingerprint proteins and more. In this talk, I will discuss recent fundamental advances in the nanopore field bridging the gap between theory and experiments on the dynamics of polymer transport through nanopores and improved models of nanopore conductance, with a focus toward developing applications in proteomics and molecular information storage. 



 Bio:

Vincent is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa, and a University Research Chair in Nanoscale Biophysics and Nanopore Science. He is a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering, cross-appointed with the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, and an executive member of the Biophysical Society of Canada, in charge of the Meetings portfolio. Since 2024, he serves as Vice-Dean Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Partnerships at the Faculty of Science. From 2020 to 2023, he was Chief Scientific Officer (part-time) of Northern Nanopore Instruments, a company he co-founded that specialized in research tools and solutions to support fundamental and applied research on solid-state nanopores, which was acquired by Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

His research program is dedicated to the development of novel techniques and methods to manipulate and characterize single molecules using nanofluidic devices, to unravel the basic physics governing the behaviour of biological molecules in nanoconfined geometries, and ultimately to translate these discoveries into new tools for the health and life sciences. He is known for the pioneering of a simple, yet remarkably precise nanofabrication technique for making nanopores in thin solid-state membranes, which is helping to democratize nanopore-based research. 
 

Learn More:

Add to Calendar 2025-11-20T16:00:00 2025-11-20T17:00:00 A Pinhole to the Proteome: The Physics of Analyzing Polymers with Solid-State Nanopores Event Information: Abstract:  In the last decade, the emergence of single-molecule DNA and RNA nanopore sequencing has transformed genomics. Nanopores are molecular size holes in thin membranes that can electrically identify single molecules as they thread through. Yet, applications of nanopores extend far beyond the current success of the technology, and nanopores are being explored to decode digital information stored on synthetic molecules, quantify disease biomarkers, fingerprint proteins and more. In this talk, I will discuss recent fundamental advances in the nanopore field bridging the gap between theory and experiments on the dynamics of polymer transport through nanopores and improved models of nanopore conductance, with a focus toward developing applications in proteomics and molecular information storage.   Bio: Vincent is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa, and a University Research Chair in Nanoscale Biophysics and Nanopore Science. He is a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering, cross-appointed with the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, and an executive member of the Biophysical Society of Canada, in charge of the Meetings portfolio. Since 2024, he serves as Vice-Dean Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Partnerships at the Faculty of Science. From 2020 to 2023, he was Chief Scientific Officer (part-time) of Northern Nanopore Instruments, a company he co-founded that specialized in research tools and solutions to support fundamental and applied research on solid-state nanopores, which was acquired by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. His research program is dedicated to the development of novel techniques and methods to manipulate and characterize single molecules using nanofluidic devices, to unravel the basic physics governing the behaviour of biological molecules in nanoconfined geometries, and ultimately to translate these discoveries into new tools for the health and life sciences. He is known for the pioneering of a simple, yet remarkably precise nanofabrication technique for making nanopores in thin solid-state membranes, which is helping to democratize nanopore-based research.   Learn More: About Vincent from his UofOttawa faculty page: Vincent Tabard-Cossa From his lab pages: www.tcossalab.net and Members of the T.-Cossa Lab About Nanopores: No small matter | Nature Chemistry Event Location: HENN 201