Patent ID: 8101388

Claim:
A probe for extracting molecular material from a sample containing said molecular material, the probe comprising: (a) a dielectric cylinder having (i) an opening and (ii) a cavity extending from said opening through a length of said cylinder; (b) a carbon nano-fiber recessed from the opening of the cylinder to a position inside the dielectric cylinder cavity, thereby forming a carbon nano-fiber core; and (c) a tether comprising a receptor for said molecular material, wherein the tether comprises DNA, RNA, a protein, peptide nucleic acid (PNA), and combinations thereof, and wherein the tether is covalently attached to a surface of the carbon nano-fiber core; and wherein the tether has a first charge, wherein by applying a second charge to the carbon nano-fiber core: (i) when said first and said second charge are the same charge polarity then a portion of the tether extends to an exterior of the cavity; and/or (ii) when said first and said second charge are of the opposite charge polarity then a portion of the tether extended exterior of the cavity positions the tether within the cavity.