Mind the (nano) Gap is one of the 22 exhibits selected for the 2018 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. It focuses on detecting bio-molecules from their unique signatures as they interact with nanoscale gaps. In healthcare it is critical to be able to measure traces of molecules with great accuracy – to diagnose or monitor the progression of diseases, check for allergens in food, or for drug testing. At this exhibit you will find out about the biosensors of the future that use nanoscale techniques to detect molecules in extremely small quantities.
Many interesting and important biological molecules like DNA and proteins are very small, and scientists are constantly improving our ability to see and measure them. But to really progress we need to measure the millions of times rarer signalling molecules that manage our health, and this needs vastly improved but affordable detection technologies. By pulling molecules of interest into the small space or nanogap between our tiny sensor components, they now become visible to our instruments. Various techniques exist to do this using nanopores, atomically thin membranes, or tiny gaps between nanostructures that are just billionths of a metre across, all of which you can find out about on this website or at our exhibit in London on 2-8 Jul 2018.
This exhibit put together by researchers at the University of Cambridge Centre for Doctoral Training in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NanoDTC). Research at our centre covers a vast range of topics including batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, hardware for advanced computing technologies, innovative manufacturing technologies, new therapeutics and of course biosensing. See some examples here: https://www.nanodtc.cam.ac.uk/about-the-nanodtc/c2013-research and also on other similar links on the left of the page.
If you are looking to come visit our Royal Society Summer Science Festival exhibit, you might find the following pages useful:
Contact: nanogap@nanodtc.cam.ac.uk
