Faster structure determinations to benefit nanotechnology

Two stories report new tools that should accelerate nanotech development by providing scientists with faster determination of molecular structures. In the first technique an atomic force microscope tip is followed by a laser beam to produce spectroscopic data as it traces an individual strand of RNA. The second advance is a tabletop synchrotron that will make it much easier for researchers to obtain high-quality protein structures, thus accelerating the design-build-test cycle for the protein and protein-like polymer path to productive nanosystems.

From Science Daily โ€œDirect sequencing of DNA, RNA using novel techniqueโ€œ:

Volker Deckert and his team at the Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS) in Dortmund have recently developed a method that could provide a way to directly sequence DNA. Their process is based on a combination of Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. They have successfully analyzed DNAโ€™s closest relative, RNA.

Corinna Wu, writing in Technology Review: โ€œA miniature synchrotron: Researchers get a new tool to determine protein structuresโ€œ:

This miniature synchrotron offers scientists a new way to perform high-quality x-ray experiments in their own labs.

โ€ฆ[For determining protein structures] synchrotron radiation has advantages over ordinary x-ray sources: Itโ€™s a hundred million times brighter and highly concentrated, which allows for very precise, high-resolution experiments.

โ€”Jim

Leave a comment

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.