Dr. John J. Kasianowicz is the Leader of the Nanobiotechnology Project in the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He earned a Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a M.A. in Physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a B.A. in Physics (with Distinction) from Boston University. John was a National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council Research Associate in the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory at NIST prior to joining the staff and becoming a Leader of the Biomolecular Materials Group. He pioneered research in four principal areas: single molecule characterization, quantification, and identification; nanopore-based DNA sequencing; elucidating the mechanisms of bacterial toxin action, and development of new methods for membrane protein structure determination. His work led to two major efforts for nanopore-based DNA sequencing technology, which are currently valued at $1.8B. John's current major focus area is the development of electronic systems to simultaneously quantify many biomarkers (proteins, DNA, RNA, etc.) in single cells, tissue, and blood. This research could have a marked impact on understanding basic cellular mechanisms and aid the development of quantitative personalized medicine.

Title: Towards Individual Molecule Identification with Single Nanometer-Scale Pores

Abstract:

Proteins that form nanometer-scale pores in cell membranes provide the molecular basis of action for nerve, muscle, and other tissues. For the past 25 years, we have been developing them for the electronic detection, characterization, quantitation and identification of single molecules. I will discuss the potential use of this method for practical applications, including DNA sequencing, sizing individual molecules, measuring the forces between single molecules, therapeutics development, and the identification of synthetic nanoparticles, proteins, and other biomarkers.

*Refreshments will be served before the colloquium*