While nanopore sequencers available in the DNA sequencing industry are capable of detecting the presence of proteins in DNA strands, they are currently unable to identify specific proteins that are present. To solve this, Professor Leburton has developed a matched filter algorithm to classify particular epigenetic markers. The algorithm’s novel sensor technology detects and maps regions of hyper- and hypo-methylations across the genome using genetic markers. By calculating electrical current signatures of proteins and comparing them to other current signatures, it identifies the type of protein that exists on the DNA strand. The technology, which can be implemented onto existing hardware, is programmable to identify any protein. Integrating a sensor with signal processing architectures could pave the way to developing a multipurpose technology for early disease detection.
