Analytical Assessment of Hyaluronan and Its Heavy Chain Modification with Solid-State Nanopore Sensors

Hyaluronan (HA) is an essential polysaccharide found throughout nature where it serves diverse biological roles in a broad range of fundamental biological processes and diseases. A critical aspect of HA is its molecular weight (MW), which varies from a few disaccharides to polymers tens of megadaltons in length. Because the behavior of HA depends distinctly on size, there is great interest in the accurate determination of its MW distribution in different conditions. A solution is presented by the solid-state nanopore platform in which HA molecules are probed individually as they pass electrically through a fabricated pore. The approach has been built into a sensitive and quantitative tool for HA MW assessment through process optimization and coupling with specific HA extraction protocols. These developments have enabled it to be applied to several outstanding biological questions, including the emergent role of heavy chain-modified HA.