Revealing the physicochemical basis of biomolecular interactions with mass photometry

Prof. Philipp KUKURA
Department of Chemistry
University of Oxford, UK
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry
University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK

Interactions between biomolecules control the processes of life in health, and their malfunction in disease, making their characterization and quantification essential to our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. I will introduce mass photometry, the accurate mass measurement of individual molecules in solution by light scattering, as a general approach for studying biomolecular mechanisms. The combination of label-free detection and mass measurement results in universal applicability enabling study of interaction stoichiometries, structure, energetics and kinetics. I will demonstrate the power of these measurements using recent results that reveal the molecular mechanisms, enabled by the measurement of the underlying physicochemical parameters, of fundamental processes such as filament formation and self-assembly both in solution and on bilayer membranes. In combination with future improvements in both technical capabilities and assays, mass photometry could make significant headway towards the ultimate goal of revealing biomolecular mechanisms directly at the molecular level.