Oct 7, 2019

Revisiting and Repurposing the Double Helix

Date: October 7, 2019 | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Speaker: Taekjip Ha, Johns Hopkins University
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall, Central Building

DNA is an iconic molecule that forms a double helical structure, providing the basis for genetic inheritance, and its physical properties have been studied for decades. In this talk, I will present evidence that sequence and methylation dependent physical properties of DNA such as flexibility and self-association may be important for biological functions. In addition, I will present a new application of DNA where mechanical modulations of cell behavior can be studied at the single molecule level using rupturable DNA tethers.