Physics & Astronomy"Putting on Individual Biomolecules with Centrifugal Force": Ken Halvorsen, Research Scientist, RNA Institute, SUNY Albany

Abstract: Probing individual biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids with force continues to shape our understanding of how biological molecules stretch, deform, move, reconfigure and interact with each other. However, such experiments can be technically challenging, tedious and costly. Here, I will discuss the conception, design and continued development of the centrifuge force microscope (CFM), an instrument designed to increase the throughput and the accessibility of single-molecule experiments. I will then dive into applications and uses of the CFM, focusing on a recent study in my lab measuring individual stacking energies between bases in DNA and RNA.