Electrokinetic trapping of single molecules, and Euler buckling and nonlinear kinking of DNA
Contributors: Cohen, Adam E.; Murray, Andrew W.; Ramanathan, Sharad; Yin, Peng; Hogle, James M.
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Description: I present two applications of fluorescence spectroscopy in biophysics. The first is an instrument, the anti-Brownian electrokinetic (ABEL) trap, which is capable of trapping individual small molecules in aqueous solution at room temperature. The second is an investigation of the bending mechanics of double-stranded DNA using a novel DNA structure called a "molecular vise". Both projects take advantage of the sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence spectroscopy, and both benefit from the interplay of experimental work with theoretical and computational modeling.
Notes: Keywords: DNA mechanics, Single-molecule spectroscopy.

Thesis Ph.D. Harvard University 2013