Inspired by the biological processes of molecular recognition and transportation across membranes, nanopore techniques have evolved in recent decades as ultrasensitive analytical tools for individual molecules. In particular, nanopore-based single-molecule DNA/RNA sequencing has advanced genomic and transcriptomic research due to the portability, lower costs and long reads of these methods. Nanopore applications, however, extend far beyond nucleic acid sequencing. In this Review, we present an overview of the broad applications of nanopores in molecular sensing and sequencing, chemical catalysis and biophysical characterization. We highlight the prospects of applying nanopores for single-protein analysis and sequencing, single-molecule covalent chemistry, clinical sensing applications for single-molecule liquid biopsy, and the use of synthetic biomimetic nanopores as experimental models for natural systems. We suggest that nanopore technologies will continue to be explored to address a number of scientific challenges as control over pore design improves.

受分子识别和跨膜运输的生物学过程的启发，纳米孔技术在最近几十年已经发展成为单个分子的超灵敏分析工具。特别是，基于纳米孔的单分子 DNA/RNA 测序具有先进的基因组和转录组学研究，因为这些方法具有便携性、低成本和长读长。然而，纳米孔的应用远远超出了核酸测序。在这篇综述中，我们概述了纳米孔在分子传感和测序、化学催化和生物物理表征中的广泛应用。我们强调了将纳米孔应用于单蛋白分析和测序、单分子共价化学、单分子液体活检的临床传感应用的前景，以及使用合成仿生纳米孔作为自然系统的实验模型。我们建议随着对孔设计控制的改进，纳米孔技术将继续被探索以解决许多科学挑战。