We describe a number of techniques for the analysis of solid-state nanopore ionic current traces and introduce a new package of Matlab analysis scripts with GUI front ends. We discuss methods for the detection of the local baseline and propose a new detection algorithm that bypasses some of the classical weaknesses of moving-average detection. Our new approach removes detected events and re-creates an ideal event-free baseline subsequently used to recalculate the local baseline. Iterative operation of this algorithm causes both the moving average of the baseline current and its standard deviation to converge to their correct values. We explain different approaches to selecting events and building event populations, and we show the value of keeping track of the changes in parameters, such as the event rate and the pore resistance, throughout the course of the experiment. Finally, we introduce a new technique for separating unfolded events and detecting current spikes present within translocation events. This open source software package is available online at: http://ceesdekkerlab.tudelft.nl/downloads/

Large-scale gene synthesis in tiny droplets: Gene synthesis technology is important for functional characterization of DNA sequences and for the development of synthetic biology. However, current methods are limited by their low scalability and high cost. Plesa et al. developed a gene synthesis method, DropSynth, which uses barcoded beads to concentrate oligos and subsequently assemble them into synthetic genes within picoliter emulsion droplets. DropSynth allows generation of large libraries of thousands of genes and functional testing of all possible mutations of a particular sequence. Science , this issue p. 343