Nanopores and Nanostructures for Biophysics Experiments from Single Molecules to Bacteria
Event details
| Date | 15.12.2014 |
| Hour | 14:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Cornelis "Cees" Dekker, Delft University of Technology, Delft (NL) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
Abatract:
Nanotechnology offers many opportunities to contribute to biology. Here I will present examples where nanofabrication – the ability to make confined structures with dimensions at will – is used to examine the biophysics of single molecules and cells. I will present two major examples from our lab:
1. DNA translocation through solid-state nanopores [1]
Solid-state nanopores have proven to be a surprisingly versatile probe for single-molecule analysis of DNA. I will describe some of our recent efforts to expand the capabilities of solid-state nanopores even further, in the direction of single-protein detection, graphene nanopores, plasmonic nanopores, and DNA origami nanopores.
2. Exploring biophysics of bacteria with nanofabricated shapes [2]
We shape bacteria into forms that deviate from their natural phenotype. Specifically, I will show our ability to shape live E. coli bacteria into novel shapes such as rectangles, squares, triangles and circles. We study pattern formation in these geometries. I will show spatiotemporal oscillations of Min proteins – associated with cell division – in such artificial geometries of live E. coli cells.
References:
[1] C. Dekker, Solid-state nanopores, Nature Nanotechnol. 2, 209−215 (2007)
[2] F. Wu et al, submitted
Bio:
Education:
• 1977-1983 Experimental Physics at the University of Utrecht
• 1984-1988 Ph.D. in Physics from University of Utrecht; thesis "Two-dimensional spin glasses"
Academic appointments:
• 1984-1988 Research assistant at the University of Utrecht
• 1988-1993 Assistant professor (UD) at the University of Utrecht
• 1990-1991 Visiting researcher at IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, USA
• 1993-1999 Associate professor (UHD) at Delft University of Technology
• Since 1999 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek full professor at Delft University of Technology.
• 2000 Visiting researcher at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
• Since 2000 Full professor of Molecular Biophysics, Delft University of Technology.
• Since 2001 Group leader of the Molecular Biophysics group
• Since 2006 Distinguished University Professor
• Since 2009 Department Chair of the new Department of Bionanoscience, TU Delft.
Abatract:
Nanotechnology offers many opportunities to contribute to biology. Here I will present examples where nanofabrication – the ability to make confined structures with dimensions at will – is used to examine the biophysics of single molecules and cells. I will present two major examples from our lab:
1. DNA translocation through solid-state nanopores [1]
Solid-state nanopores have proven to be a surprisingly versatile probe for single-molecule analysis of DNA. I will describe some of our recent efforts to expand the capabilities of solid-state nanopores even further, in the direction of single-protein detection, graphene nanopores, plasmonic nanopores, and DNA origami nanopores.
2. Exploring biophysics of bacteria with nanofabricated shapes [2]
We shape bacteria into forms that deviate from their natural phenotype. Specifically, I will show our ability to shape live E. coli bacteria into novel shapes such as rectangles, squares, triangles and circles. We study pattern formation in these geometries. I will show spatiotemporal oscillations of Min proteins – associated with cell division – in such artificial geometries of live E. coli cells.
References:
[1] C. Dekker, Solid-state nanopores, Nature Nanotechnol. 2, 209−215 (2007)
[2] F. Wu et al, submitted
Bio:
Education:
• 1977-1983 Experimental Physics at the University of Utrecht
• 1984-1988 Ph.D. in Physics from University of Utrecht; thesis "Two-dimensional spin glasses"
Academic appointments:
• 1984-1988 Research assistant at the University of Utrecht
• 1988-1993 Assistant professor (UD) at the University of Utrecht
• 1990-1991 Visiting researcher at IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, USA
• 1993-1999 Associate professor (UHD) at Delft University of Technology
• Since 1999 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek full professor at Delft University of Technology.
• 2000 Visiting researcher at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
• Since 2000 Full professor of Molecular Biophysics, Delft University of Technology.
• Since 2001 Group leader of the Molecular Biophysics group
• Since 2006 Distinguished University Professor
• Since 2009 Department Chair of the new Department of Bionanoscience, TU Delft.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free