SORTING OF POLYMERS

• Main Authors: BROWN, Clive Gavin, WRIGHT, Christopher James, HERON, Andrew John, REID, Stuart William, HARPER, Gavin, TURNER, Daniel John
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 23.03.2022
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; ENZYMOLOGY; INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTEDFOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PHYSICS; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; SPIRITS; TESTING; VINEGAR; WINE

A system (1) sorts polymers comprising sequences of polymer units. A sample chamber (24) contains a sample comprising the polymers. A sensor element (30) comprises a nanopore (32) that communicates between the sample chamber and a collection chamber (21). Successive polymers from the sample chamber are caused to start translocation through the nanopore. During the translocation of each polymer, the system: takes successive measurements of the polymer from the sensor element; analyses the series of measurements taken from the polymer during the partial translocation thereof using reference data derived from at least one reference sequence of polymer units to provide a measure of similarity between the sequence of polymer units of the partially translocated polymer and the at least one reference sequence; and, in dependence on the measure of similarity, selectively completes the translocation of the polymer into the collection chamber or else ejects the polymer back into the sample chamber.