Broadcast — Structure and dynamics of Supramolecular systems one molecule at a time

The Cutting Edge lectures are organized to foster communication between scientists in different disciplines as well as between scientists and the public.

Advances in electronics, optics and nanotechnology have led to a tremendous progress in optical imaging over the past years. In the specific case of fluorescence imaging, the possibility of visualizing single fluorescent molecules with exquisite spatial and temporal resolution gave rise to the field of Single Molecule Spectroscopy. This technique has provided new paradigms in chemical biology, biochemistry and biophysics by revealing unique information otherwise hidden in ensemble measurements. This presentation describes recent research on the single particle imaging of DNA nanotubes and single molecule spectroscopy characterization of liposome beacons, as well as single molecule mechanistic enzymatic studies.