Researchers can measure distances in molecules optically

MINFLUX microscopy allows the determination of distances within biomolecules using an optical microscope

15-Oct-2024 - A team led by physicists Steffen Sahl and Stefan Hell at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has succeeded in measuring distances within biomolecules using a light microscope, down to one nanometer ...

Synthetic cells to interact with living matter

These could be used to study complex biological questions or to develop new concepts in biomedicine

24-Oct-2022 - Scientists at DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials have come one step closer to the objective of producing functional synthetic cells. The research group is probing the necessary ingredients for the design and development of materials with the ability to communicate and function with ...

A clear path to better insights into biomolecules

3D images with record-breaking resolution

06-Jan-2021 - An international team of scientists, led by Kartik Ayyer from the MPSD, has obtained some of the sharpest possible 3D images of gold nanoparticles. The resuts lay the foundation for obtaining high resolution images of macromolecules. The study was carried out at the European XFEL’s Single ...

Nanocages in the lab and in the computer

How DNA-based dendrimers transport nanoparticles

22-Oct-2018 - How to create nanocages, i.e., robust and stable objects with regular voids and tunable properties? Short segments of DNA molecules are perfect candidates for the controllable design of novel complex structures. Physicists from the University of Vienna, the Technical University of Vienna, the ...

Lipids and proteins: Further evidence for functional crosstalk in cells

19-Jun-2018 - Researchers at Kanazawa University have uncovered the role of lipids in facilitating a functional switch between two forms of a cellular enzyme: Peroxiredoxin (Prxs). Their study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology explains how negatively charged membrane lipids can bind to Prxs, and ...

The Making of Biorelevant Nanomaterials

05-Jan-2018 - The interactions of biological macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, and polysaccharide–protein conjugates can be mimicked by artificial polyelectrolytes. Such synthetic polyionic complexes are expected to serve as novel platforms to stabilize and deliver drugs, proteins, or nucleic ...

Naked molecules dancing in liquid become visible

Visualizing polymers moving inside tiny graphene pockets

25-Sep-2017 - Moving, vibrating and leaping molecules make up our world. However, capturing their movement is not an easy task. IBS scientists at the Center for Soft and Living Matter, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), were able to see the movement of molecules stored inside a graphene pocket ...

Microbot origami can capture, transport single cells

08-Aug-2017 - Researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University have developed a way to assemble and pre-program tiny structures made from microscopic cubes - "microbot origami" - to change their shape when actuated by a magnetic field and then, using the magnetic energy from their ...

Plastic made of sugar and carbon dioxide

15-Jun-2017 - Some biodegradable plastics could in the future be made using sugar and carbon dioxide, replacing unsustainable plastics made from crude oil, following research by scientists from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) at the University of Bath. Polycarbonate is used to make ...

Prestigious grant for imaging single molecules

Human Frontier Science Program supports intercontinental collaboration

27-Apr-2017 - An international team of researchers, including DESY scientist Henry Chapman, has been awarded a research grant by the Human Frontier Science Program to develop a novel method for imaging individual biomolecules with atomic resolution. The team will receive a total of 1.35 million US-Dollars over ...