This is a scene TwoPoreGuys used to illustrate how their single-molecule detection and identification work in a nanopore. Anything that moves through a nanopore’s channel creates an impedance drop within an electrical signal. Different molecules have their unique resistance value. A straight strand of DNA flossing through a nanopore with nothing on it gives a relatively consistent value. If anything is attached to the DNA, the resistance equals the DNA strand plus the attached molecule, making a bigger impedance signal.

Synthetic DNA is used to capture the targeted molecules within a sample so that they can be brought to the nanopore. If more than one target exists for a test, polyethylene glycol reagents (PEG) are used to distinguish different molecules. A chosen number of PEGs are chemically engineered to bind to specific sections of a synthetic DNA strand. The following length of strand after that unique sequence of PEGs acts as a kind of “barcode” to identify the targeted molecules that follow.