Technologies capable of rapid and sensitive detection of single biomolecules is continuously evolving, and is now beginning to emerge as a very promising new tool for precision detection and identification. Application areas span analytical chemical and biochemical fields, with high potential economic impact in the genomic analysis, drug discovery,...

Telomeres, tandem repeats at the ends of chromatids, are a particular point of interest in the science of aging and cancer. Telomeric DNA is lost during cellular replication, resulting in shortened chromatid length and cessation of cell division. Many age-related diseases are linked to shortened telomeres. Conversely, many cancer cells demonstrate elongated...

A major limitation of current methods to detect specific DNA sequences is the need to amplify the target DNA to detectable levels using PCR. The additional instrumentation and reagents required for PCR severely limit the portability of PCR based detection systems, greatly extend the time required for analysis, and potentially introduce significant...