Cellular and Molecular Biophysics
- We investigate the
- Mechanical dynamics and structure-function of membrane proteins
- Lipid membrane domains and nanoscale diffusion or membrane proteins
- Quantification and modeling of spatio-temporal anisotropies inside cells
- by applying and development methods like
- Single molecule fluorescence,
- Thermal-noise imaging and optical trapping
- Fluorescence lifetime imaging
Enzymes as macromolecular machines undergo conformational changes in the background of thermal fluctuations. Few methods are available to study the mechanics of this dynamics, esp. in the case of membrane proteins. We are developing single molecule methods to study the mechanics and structure-function relationships of membrane proteins using fluorescence and laser trap based thermal-noise imaging.
Cellular processes such as organogenesis, tissue function, and synaptic plasticity require spatio-temporal patterning at the subcellular level. We develop assays based on single molecule fluorescence, fluorescence lifetime imaging and thermal-noise imaging to address the dynamics of spatio-temporal patters in membranes and inside cells