Caroline Koch from the Imperial College in London, UK, presented at London Calling 2023 a lightning talk on “Novel screening platform for highly multiplexed biomarker analysis.” Koch was a Ph.D. student and explained why we need methods for multiplexed biomarker detection by emphasizing how we all express diseases differently and need sensitive diagnostic methods. They noted that we want sensitive and highly multiplexed methods. Koch also noted that this method should be highly individual and quick, realizing the promise of personalized medicine. The approach uses a barcode sequence and a biomarker. The target binding region can look at small molecules by acting as an aptamer. The binding of molecules will affect translocation and can be interpreted as a percent delay. Koch noted that this technology can simultaneously identify multiple biomarkers. The pilot studies were able to detect micro RNAs in serum. The approach uses barcodes to identify probes and delays in translocation for sensitive multiplex biomarker analysis. I enjoyed learning about this approach that uses nanopores for biomarker detection and not necessarily sequencing, though the barcodes are still utilized as traditional sequence tags.
