Title: Real-time imaging at the nanoscale: a single molecule approach to capture dynamic molecular events

Speaker: Dr. Sourav Maity, Molecular Biophysics, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract: Single-molecule approaches have advanced our understanding of the fundamental properties of molecules in complex biological processes and strengthened our knowledge in the fascinating field of physics of life. An essential advantage of a single-molecule approach lies in its ability to probe a molecule in its intrinsic states and provide information on heterogeneity across a population of molecules. However, capturing such dynamic molecular events at the nanoscale is experimentally challenging and often meets the bottleneck of many state-of-the-art methods. The central theme of my research is to capture molecules in action and unveil their role in different biological events. During my talk, I will introduce you to an emerging single-molecule technique called high-speed atomic force microscopy that can capture such molecular events in real-time and at sub-molecular spatial resolution. I will further discuss some of my recent findings on i) membrane proteins and membrane remodelling, ii) molecular self-assembly and the molecular mechanism of antimicrobial peptides. Finally, I will discuss the scope of such a single-molecule approach in advancing our understanding of host-pathogen-drug interactions.