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.
EPFL scientists have unveiled a method using biological nanopores and deep learning to detect protein modifications, offering new avenues in disease diagnostics.
Bio & Medicine
Jan 18, 2024
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61
An interdisciplinary research team, led by Assistant Prof. Jun Nishida and Associate Prof. Takashi Kumagai at the Institute for Molecular Science, has successfully observed vibrational spectra of single proteins, consisting ...
Nanophysics
Jan 10, 2024
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878
A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an optical plasmonic tweezer-controlled Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) platform that utilizes on-and-off control ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 4, 2024
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74
A team of chemists, microbiologists and physicists at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. has developed a way to use solid-state nanopores and multiplexed DNA barcoding to identify misfolded proteins such as those involved ...
Proteins that form clumps occur in many difficult-to-treat diseases, such as ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. The mechanisms behind how the proteins interact with each other are difficult to study, but now researchers at ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 20, 2023
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87
A research team led by Prof. Yang Liangbao from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to accurately monitor the diffusion behavior ...
Nanophysics
Oct 11, 2023
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97
UMass Amherst researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity.
Bio & Medicine
Oct 3, 2023
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229
Australian researchers have developed a molecular-sized, more efficient version of a widely used electronic sensor, in a breakthrough that could bring widespread benefits.
Bio & Medicine
Oct 3, 2023
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248
With the ability to map dozens of biomarkers at once, a new method could transform testing for conditions including heart disease and cancer.
Bio & Medicine
Sep 25, 2023
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160
A discovery in the field of nanofluidics could shake up our understanding of molecular behavior on the tiniest scales. Research teams at EPFL and the University of Manchester have revealed a previously hidden world by using ...
Nanophysics
Aug 31, 2023
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147
