Research
NanoBioTechnology is an emerging and highly promising field that combines nanosciences with biotechnology. The exploration of nanoscale structures and material properties on the molecular level is part of the research of nanoscientists. The goal is to achieve control of molecular interactions and functionalities in such a way that novel applications become feasible in fields such as nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and nanomedicine.
Selected Research Highlights
When molecules leave tire tracks
Carsten Rohr
Some classes of molecules are capable of arranging themselves in specific patterns on surfaces. This ability to self-organize is crucial for many technological applications, which are dependend on the assembly of ordered structures on surfaces. However, it has so far been virtually impossible to predict or control the result of such processes. More...
Tom Sobey and Christian Steinhauer
The improvement of optical microscopy towards ever higher resolution has been subject to extensive research over the past years. The diffraction limit of light prohibits resolving details smaller than half its wavelength, resulting in a fundamental resolution limit of 250-300 nm. It is the goal, however, to reach a resolution that enables imaging of much smaller structures by optical microscopy. More...
Chasing tiny vehicles - Microscope shows how nanoferries invade cells
Anna Sauer
Nanoparticles are just billionths of a millimeter in size. Exhibiting novel and often surprising properties, they are finding their way into an endless stream of equally innovative products. In medical therapies, for example, tiny nanovehicles could one day ferry drugs or even genes into cells. So far, the only way of testing these approaches has been to wait for the desired effect to show More...
God does not throw dice – but do bacteria?
Madeleine Leisner and Jan-Timm Kuhr
Many properties of any living being are encoded in its genetic material. This includes the species of an organism, but also many aspects of its appearance: For instance the color of the human eye is encoded in the DNA. Even for identical twins having the very same genetic material, there exist physical differences which are manifested for example in liver spots or fingerprints. More...
Species diversity by pattern formation
Tobias Reichenbach
Our earth exhibits an enormous diversity of animal and plant species. This richness is essential for the viability of ecological systems. It comes with a complex network of interactions that occur between the different species, such as predator-prey relationships or symbiotic dependences. Conceptual explanations of species diversity therefore quickly run into fundamental problems. More...
Molecular Force Sensor Controls Growth of Muscles
Elias Puchner
Olympians in Peking probably didn’t think about the molecular function and regulation of their muscles during competitions. They must have been much more interested in the question if their training and the growth of their muscles had been ideal. But how does the muscle measure the mechanical stress during training and “notices” when to perform better? More...
On the Way to Molecular Resolution with the Help of Blinking Molecules
Christian Steinhauer
To make smallest structures within a cell visible and thus being able to observe them in detail is a crucial aspect of biological research. For this task, fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool; however, the image resolution is limited because of the diffraction of light: If you want to display a tiny point-like source of light such as for example a light-emitting molecule of about one nanometer More...