# Conductance Fluctuations: A New Approach to Sequencing?

> **NIH NIH R21** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2020 · $314,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
The objective of this two-year R21 project is to explore a very new approach to probing the dynamics of
enzyme activity based on recently-discovered electronic properties of proteins. The long-term goal is to create
a low-cost, high speed single-molecule genome sequencer with long reads, requiring no dyes or labels, with
direct electronic readout. The technology has the potential for rapid reads (on the order of an hour per
genome) using an integrated circuit chip. If this potential were to be fully realized, then use of genome
sequencing in the clinic with near real-time feedback could become a reality. Initial data shows that high signal
to noise measurement of protein fluctuations appears to be possible, and suggests that at least some of the
fluctuations are associated with the function of the protein. However, these studies are limited by a great deal
of variability owing to uncertainty about the chemical nature of contacts to the proteins. Therefore, our first aim
is to engineer polymerases with built-in contacts, designed to self-assemble into a measurement device. We
will test the construct with a scanning tunneling microscope, and, in the process, obtain design parameters for
a sequencing device. Our second aim is to test at least one structure in a solid-state device, to check the
validity of data obtained in a scanning tunneling microscopy. If successful, the data collected would lay the
groundwork for a larger effort to scale up and improve accuracy to achieve a viable sequencing platform with
the properties described above.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9922984
- **Project number:** 5R21HG010522-02
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** STUART LINDSAY
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $314,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2021-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9922984

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9922984, Conductance Fluctuations: A New Approach to Sequencing? (5R21HG010522-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9922984. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*