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Updated: May 8, 2026

Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
Published on: August 16, 2016
Through the eye of the needle: recent advances in understanding biopolymer translocation
Debabrata Panja1, Gerard T Barkema, Anatoly B Kolomeisky
1Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universiteit Utrecht, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht, The Netherlands. Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Postbus 94485, 1090 GL Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
In recent years polymer translocation, i.e., transport of polymeric molecules through nanometer-sized pores and channels embedded in membranes, has witnessed strong advances. It is now possible to observe single-molecule polymer dynamics during the motion through channels with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. These striking experimental studies have stimulated many theoretical developments. In this short theory-experiment review, we discuss recent progress in this field with a strong focus on non-equilibrium aspects of polymer dynamics during the translocation process.
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