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Optique et Biologie
Dynamics and reactivity of biochemical assemblies using single molecule detection methods
Biological systems at the nano-scale can be seen as a complex Brownian world. An intriguing question is how biological systems deal with thermal fluctuations to generate cellular spatiotemporal organization and activity. For that, biological systems establish a subtle trade-off between random diffusive motion and molecular interactions (DNA-protein or protein-protein) .
In order to probe these stochastic processes at a truly molecular scale, one needs to develop imaging methods with a good temporal and spatial resolution at the single molecule level. The objective of our group is to develop and use novel optical tools to visualize individual biomolecules, either in vitro or in vivo. In particular, we use quantum dots as biological probes and one of our goal is to obtain a single-molecule "global positioning system" in live cells. This ultrasensitive imaging method will combine a multicolour detection, a real time observation and a 3D imaging with a nanometric localisation.
In our group, several complex biological processes are currently studied : from DNA-protein interactions in vitro (search dynamics of restriction enzymes) to cell dynamics (molecular motors, cell division and cell polarity).
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