Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Science › New optical method follows single proteins as they shift shape
Science

New optical method follows single proteins as they shift shape

New optical method follows single proteins as they shift shape
Phys.org Wednesday 22 July 2026, 19:20 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

Researchers at the University of Twente have developed an optical method that follows the shape changes of a single protein in liquid without attaching anything to it. It reads the protein's structure from its own molecular vibrations, free from the labels or tags that other techniques rely on. The method could help researchers study how proteins respond to drugs, toxins and other biomolecules.

Researchers at the University of Twente have developed an optical method that follows the shape changes of a single protein in liquid without attaching anything to it. It reads the protein's structure from its own molecular vibrations, free from the labels or tags that other techniques rely on. The method could help researchers study how proteins respond to drugs, toxins and other biomolecules. The paper is published in the journal ACS Nano.
the University of Twente (ORG) ACS Nano (ORG)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

Related Stories

First ever reported cryo-EM visualization of E. coli TGT structure

The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) chemically modifies transfer RNA (tRNA) and plays a key role in how disease-causing bacteria control the production of proteins needed to cause infection. E. coli TGT is nearly identical to the one found in Shigella, which causes the intestinal infection shigellosis. Traditionally, scientists have used E. coli TGT as a primary model to understand how TGT works; however, they have struggled to visualize the atomic structure of E. coli TGT because...

Phys.org 43m ago

Are penalties in the US airline industry a deterrent or a 'price?'

Many people drive more carefully for a while after receiving a traffic fine. But do large corporations, such as airlines, also change their behavior when they face financial penalties? We examine this question by studying penalties imposed in the United States for lengthy tarmac delays.

Phys.org 43m ago

Physics-based AI could boost biomedical imaging and autonomous vehicle sensors

A research team led by UCLA and the University of Rochester has demonstrated a promising evolution of an imaging system designed to capture details within "complex media," which scatter light, from depicting structures inside body tissue to seeing obstacles through heavy fog. The system uses physics-based machine learning to improve an existing imaging technique.

Phys.org 1h ago

Molecular model for semiconductor surfaces developed

Semiconductor surfaces can generally be studied only with considerable experimental effort, for example, in an ultrahigh vacuum. To more easily gain new insights into their properties and the possibilities for targeted modification, scientists at Heidelberg University have developed a molecular model for the so-called "buckled dimer" using synthetic and computational chemistry methods.

Phys.org 1h ago