Patent ID: 8246799

Claim:
An apparatus for analyzing a target biomolecule, the apparatus comprising: a) first and second fluid chambers in fluid communication with one another, wherein the first and second fluid chambers are separated by a structure defining a member selected from the group consisting of a nanochannel and a microchannel; b) a plurality of electrodes each laterally offset from one another along at least a portion of a length of the nanochannel or microchannel, to thereby define a plurality of detector volumes therein, the electrodes being in communication with an electrical signal detector and data collection device programmed to respectively detect and record changes in an electrical property corresponding to at least one of the detector volumes as the target biomolecule translocates through the detector volumes, wherein (i) each detector volume is defined by a pair of the electrodes laterally offset from each other along the nanochannel or microchannel, (ii) each pair of laterally offset electrodes comprises a first electrode disposed upstream from a second electrode along a length of the nanochannel or microchannel, and (iii) the plurality of electrodes comprises at least three electrodes defining at least two detector volumes therebetween; and c) a driving force generator for translocating the target biomolecule from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber through the plurality of detector volumes.