Laboratory Courses

Blockpraktikum Biophysik

V1b - Enzyme Kinetics and Molecular Motors
How do muscles work and which are the relevant components for muscle contraction? Key molecules in eukaryotic motility and muscle contraction processes are actin filaments and the motor protein myosin. The later catalyses the transformation of chemical energy in the form of ATP into mechanical work resulting in the motion of actin. In this lab course we observe the motility creating process on a molecular level and find a set of parameters that describe the process. You will gain some experience in biochemical lab work and microscopy.

Supervising tutors:
Andreas Graw      Tel. 089/ 2180 – 71587 andreas.graw@med.uni-muenchen.de

Related material:
V1b_molecular_motors.pdf

V2b - Sizing Proteins with Mass Photometry
To understand a biological process at a fundamental level, it is often necessary to dissect its mechanism down to the molecular components driving it. Triggered by specific cellular signals, biomolecules (such as proteins or nucleic acids) dynamically interact with each other to form larger scale assemblies, and later disassemble again, or reassemble in a different way. This course will introduce you to the concept of interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy, how it enables label-free single-protein imaging, and how it can be used to size proteins and their assemblies in solution. This recently developed application of iSCAT microscopy is called mass photometry.

Supervising tutors:
Nikolas Hundt      Tel. 089/ 2180 – 71563 nikolas.hundt@med.uni-muenchen.de

Related material:
V2b_mass_photometrypdf