Current Research Highlights

Nanopore translocation experiments are performed using a novel setup based on microemulsion droplets. This scales down the required analyte volume to only a few picoliters and provides very stable membranes for single-molecule nanopore experiments. Using this setup, the stability of hairpin DNA and G-quadruplex DNA is studied by nanopore force spectroscopy.

Resolving the distances: Rectangular DNA origami labeled with fluorophores at specific positions has been used as a nanoscopic ruler. Super-resolution microscopy based on the subsequent localization of single molecules enables two fluorophores at a distance of about 90 nm to be optically resolved. This combination of subdiffraction imaging and DNA nanotechnology opens up new avenues for studying nanostructures and their dynamics.