My op-eds, guest blog posts and magazine articles.
Combining Sound Waves and DNA Leashes for Force Spectroscopy | BPS blog
Researchers use custom-designed DNA leashes that can hold biomolecules such as proteins and exert a pulling force by using acoustic waves to study the strength of the protein-protein bonds.
CRISPR-Coupled Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Detects Nucleic Acids | BPS blog
Detection of nucleic acid biomarkers is on the forefront of biomolecular and diagnostic research, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, researchers from the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and University of Southampton (UK) have developed a CRISPR-based method that provides a visual readout based on liquid-liquid phase separation.
MAy THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE BE WITH YOU | BPS blog
Studying the interactions between biomolecules at the single molecule level contributes significantly to our understanding of biological phenomena, but a key challenge has been the complexity of single-molecule experiments and the lack of high throughput methods. Now, researchers from the University at Albany, State University of New York developed a benchtop centrifugal force microscope (CFM) that can perform high throughput single-molecule experiments.
THE Old HOUSE | TROLLEY
A poem published in Trolley, the online journal of the New York State Writers Institute.
Beyond the woods, in a lonely forest
There stood a tall, majestic mansion –
The stately residence of our forefathers,
And also mine, in a time uncertain.
Building Nanoscale Structures with DNA | the scientist
DNA—the biological information-storage unit and the mechanism by which traits are passed on from generation to generation—is more than just an essential molecule of life. In the chemical sense, the nucleic acid has properties that make it useful for nonbiological applications. Researchers are now using DNA to store massive amounts of data, for example, including books and images, a Shakespearean sonnet, and even a computer operating system, with data encoded in the molecule’s nucleotide sequences. At an even more fundamental level, DNA is a critical building block of nanoscale shapes and structures. Researchers have created myriad nanoscale objects and devices using the nucleic acid, with applications in biosensing, drug delivery, biomolecular analysis, and molecular computation, to name but a few.
A DNA-based rewritable memory device | Nanowerk
DNA-based information storage has many advantages including longevity and ability for highly dense storage, and is more suited for archival storage of data. However, reading only portions of the stored message is hard since entire libraries of DNA strands have to be sequenced. In our recent paper in Nucleic Acids Research, we use DNA nanoswitches for short term storage of data, where the information is "written" in different states of the nanoswitches. The written information can be erased and rewritten, with our strategy also providing a write-protection function (to prevent erasing of specific bits). The stored data can be easily read-out using gel electrophoresis.
A DNA-based display console for molecular readouts | Science trends
DNA nanodevices provide visual outputs of events that occur at the molecular level. In my recent research published in ChemBioChem, shape-changing DNA nanostructures are used to recognize and react to specific input DNA strands, with the resulting output graphically displayed using gel electrophoresis.
Pregaming for BPS20: Valentine's day, crab cakes and DNA nanotechnology | BPS blog
My labmates and I were at the Albany airport at 6 am for our flight to San Diego, all geared up for BPS 2020. During our transfer at the Chicago airport, a girl noticed our poster holder and asked if we were going to a conference. On talking further, we learned that her husband is presenting at BPS as well. We were still 2000 miles away from the BPS event, and the event had already caught on to us. We looked up each other's information on the BPS app and noted which session her husband was presenting so we could connect.
Undergraduate researchers at BPS2020: A conversation | BPS blog
Among the famous scientists, early career researchers and graduate research students, undergraduates are also welcome at BPS meetings every year. There are dedicated sessions, mixers and resources for students interested in research during their undergraduate program and later in their career. During this year's undergraduate poster competition, I spoke to four undergraduate participants about their experience at BPS2020, their research, and their career goals.