The present disclosure provides biochips and methods for making biochips. A biochip can comprise a nanopore in a membrane (e.g., lipid bilayer) adjacent or in proximity to an electrode. Methods are described for forming the membrane and inserting the nanopore into the membrane. The biochips and methods can be used for nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) sequencing. The present disclosure also describes methods for detecting, sorting, and binning molecules (e.g., proteins) using biochips.

An array of membranes comprising amphipathic molecules is formed using an apparatus comprising a support defining an array of compartments. Volumes comprising polar medium are provided within respective compartments and a layer comprising apolar medium is provided extending across the openings with the volumes. Polar medium is flowed across the support to displace apolar medium and form a layer in contact with the volumes, forming membranes comprising amphipathic molecules at the interfaces. In one construction of the apparatus, the support that comprises partitions which comprise inner portions and outer portions. The inner portions define inner recesses without gaps therebetween that are capable of constraining the volumes comprising polar medium contained in neighbouring inner recesses from contacting each other. The outer portions extend outwardly from the inner portions and have gaps allowing the flow of an apolar medium across the substrate.

An array of membranes comprising amphipathic molecules is formed using an apparatus comprising a support defining an array of compartments. Volumes comprising polar medium are provided within respective compartments and a layer comprising apolar medium is provided extending across the openings with the volumes. Polar medium is flowed across the support to displace apolar medium and form a layer in contact with the volumes, forming membranes comprising amphipathic molecules at the interfaces. In one construction of the apparatus, the support that comprises partitions which comprise inner portions and outer portions. The inner portions define inner recesses without gaps therebetween that are capable of constraining the volumes comprising polar medium contained in neighbouring inner recesses from contacting each other. The outer portions extend outwardly from the inner portions and have gaps allowing the flow of an apolar medium across the substrate.

Screening assays and methods of performing such assays are provided. In certain examples, the assays and methods may be designed to determine whether or not two or more species can associate with each other. In some examples, the assays and methods may be used to determine if a known antigen binds to an unknown monoclonal antibody.

Disclosed herein are devices comprising treated lipid multilayer arrays. The devices can include a support, a discrete lipid multilayer array on a surface of the support, wherein the lipid multilayer array comprises one or more lipid multilayer dots, a material encapsulated in the one or more lipid multilayer dots, and a silicon containing compound present on a surface of one or more of the lipid multilayer dots. In some embodiments, the encapsulated material is a hydrophilic small molecule. The devices disclosed herein exhibit increased stability in cell-based applications, such as under high protein cell culture media, as well as allow for viable cell adhesion. Methods for making the disclosed devices are also provided.

Screening assays and methods of performing such assays are provided. In certain examples, the assays and methods may be designed to determine whether or not two or more species can associate with each other. In some examples, the assays and methods may be used to determine if a known antigen binds to an unknown monoclonal antibody.

Microarray platforms and methods of fabricating said microarrays without traditional high aspect ratio barriers used to define individual array elements are described herein. Self-assembled nanoshells were stabilized with a polymerized scaffold to enhance the stability in physiological conditions and serve as an optical transducer upon molecular recognition events. Soft photolithography combined with surface chemistry was developed for covalent immobilization of nanoshells onto the pre-patterned arrayed microspots for rapid multiplexed detection of membrane-binding analytes. This robust fabrication methodology is amenable for general lipid structures, and thus facilitates the integration of stable membrane architectures into diagnostic and prognostic platforms. In particular, the microarray platform may be used in diverse applications ranging from the detection of pathogens, such bacterial toxin in biological matrices, to cellular membrane studies.

The present disclosure provides biochips and methods for making biochips. A biochip can comprise a nanopore in a membrane (e.g., lipid bilayer) adjacent or in proximity to an electrode. Methods are described for forming the membrane and inserting the nanopore into the membrane. The biochips and methods can be used for nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) sequencing. The present disclosure also describes methods for detecting, sorting, and binning molecules (e.g., proteins) using biochips.

A high-density micro-chamber array has a translucent flat substrate, a hydrophobic layer in which a plurality of micro-chambers are provided, and a lipid bilayer membrane formed in each of the openings of the micro-chambers, wherein an electrode is provided in each of the micro-chambers, and when the side of the substrate on which the hydrophobic layer is provided is directed upward, the micro-chamber array is configured such that with at least one of the following A) and B) being met, light entering the substrate from below is transmitted through the substrate and penetrates into the micro-chambers' interiors, and light entering the substrate from the micro-chambers' interiors is transmitted through the substrate and escapes toward below the substrate. A) The electrode is provided on an inner side surface of each of the micro-chambers. B) The electrode is transparent and provided on a bottom surface of each of the micro-chambers.

The present disclosure provides biochips and methods for making biochips. A biochip can comprise a nanopore in a membrane (e.g., lipid bilayer) adjacent or in proximity to an electrode. Methods are described for forming the membrane and insert-ing the nanopore into the membrane. The biochips and methods can be used for nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) sequencing. The present disclosure also describes methods for detecting, sorting, and binning molecules (e.g., proteins) using biochips.