A team of engineers, life scientists, mathematicians and chemists are transforming our understanding of life through the development of revolutionary technologies that enable researchers to study the dynamic interactions of molecules in living cells at nanoscale (10-9 meters) resolution.
These new technologies include SPLM (spectroscopic photon localization microscopy), a method that is built upon the groundbreaking discovery of Hao Zhang and Vadim Backman and their teams of researchers and students that DNA can “blink”, e.g. emit intrinsic fluorescence, when subjected to low level illumination. Until now, it was believed that DNA and histones did not naturally give off light. However, CLP researchers discovered that when illuminated with visible light, the biomolecules get excited and light up well enough to be imaged without fluorescent stains.
People have overlooked this natural effect because they didn’t question conventional wisdom. With our super-resolution imaging, we found that DNA and other biomolecules do fluoresce, but only for a very short time. Then they rest for a very long time, in a ‘dark’ state.
SPLM will allow scientists across the world to study DNA molecules, and how they are bundled in the cell nucleus, in their native state and address key questions regarding the interaction of DNA and proteins to control cell behavior in humans, plants and animals and to determine how these interactions are regulated over time with accuracy and detail.