Programme (preliminary)
Students will be divided into four groups of four. Two groups will spend the first week on magnetic trapping and the second week on optical trapping - the other two groups will proceed in the opposite order. Lectures will be combined with hands-on experiments, computer exercises and demonstrations. |
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| Magnetic Trapping | Optical Tweezers |
-Assembly of the prototypical magnetic trap |
-Basic optics (laser safety; beam characterization; beam alignment; lenses, mirrors, telescopes, etc.) |
-Preparation of DNA samples and surfaces for nanomanipulation |
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-Force calibrations, signal-to-noise considerations |
-Hands-on experience with a functional dumbbell optical trap. |
| -Mechanical response of DNA to twisting and stretching | -Disassembly and reassembly of a functional dumbbell optical trap (extremely succinctly: upstream: beam characterization, alignment and steering; beam injection; downstream: beam detection) |
-Assaying DNAzymes: RNA polymerases, topoisomerases and helicases |
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| -Demonstration of commercial instruments | -Trap characterization, signal-to-noise considerations |
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-Position-clamp mode |
-Active force-clamp mode ; passive force-clamp mode (to be confirmed) |
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-Assaying RNA polymerase |
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-Assaying myosin or kinesin motor proteins (to be confirmed) |
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