Single molecule techniques comprise a set of experimental methods that detect, manipulate, and analyze individual biomolecules or molecular complexes, circumventing ensemble averaging and revealing heterogeneity in structure, dynamics, and function. Core modalities include single-molecule fluorescence (e.g., smFRET, TIRF microscopy), optical and magnetic tweezers, atomic force microscopy, and nanopore-based sensing. These techniques enable direct measurement of forces, conformational changes, binding/unbinding events, and reaction pathways with nanometer spatial and millisecond (or better) temporal resolution. They are widely applied to study nucleic acid–protein interactions, molecular motors, enzyme kinetics, folding energy landscapes, and mechanotransduction at the level of individual molecules.
The detection of individual particles and molecules has opened new horizons in analytical chemistry, cellular imaging, nanomaterials, and biomedical diagnostics. Traditional single-molecule detection methods rely heavily ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 23, 2024
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Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute have made an innovative discovery in nanoscale optoelectronics. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications and titled "Atomic-Precision ...
Nanophysics
Aug 15, 2024
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179
Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, IMDEA Nanoscience (Madrid, Spain) and CNB-CSIC (Madrid, Spain) report in ACS Nano experiments that reveal a cycle of conformational stages that ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 5, 2024
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93
Viral vectors hold much potential for gene editing and gene therapy, but there is a pressing need to develop quality control methods to minimize potential side effects on patients. Addressing this, researchers from Japan ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 1, 2024
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93
Transmembrane β-barrel pores (TMBs) are extensively used for single-molecule DNA and RNA sequencing. They enable the miniaturization of a wide array of sensing and sequencing applications into portable USB-size devices and ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 18, 2024
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121
Chiral molecules—that is, those that have mirror images of themselves—have significant benefits for transistors and solar energy devices. Studying their properties in close detail, though, has been tricky due to the limited ...
Condensed Matter
Jun 24, 2024
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117
SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim and his team have developed a faster, more precise way to detect the properties and interactions of individual proteins crucial in rapid, accurate, and real-time monitoring of virus-cell ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 13, 2024
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125
MINFLUX is a powerful microscopy technique that allows researchers to see objects much smaller than the wavelength of light. A newly developed evolution of the process uses a simpler device to create the light pattern needed ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 11, 2024
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164
Researchers often study biomolecules such as proteins or amino acids by chemically attaching a "fluorophore," a sensitive molecule that absorbs and re-emits energy from light.
Bio & Medicine
May 15, 2024
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147
In plants and animals, the basic packaging units of DNA, which carry genetic information, are the so-called nucleosomes. A nucleosome consists of a segment of DNA wound around eight proteins known as histones.
Bio & Medicine
May 10, 2024
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