Novel microscope illuminates molecular architecture

In the Gelles Lab, individual proteins are revealed through multicolored lasers

Photo/Mike Lovett

Working with biochemistry professor Jeff Gelles, Brandeis research scientists Larry Friedman and Johnson Chung built a novel light microscope that uses multiple laser colors to examine the behavior of individual protein, DNA and RNA molecules. The researchers tag molecules with fluorescent colors, enabling the microscope to reveal the workings of the molecular machines that control the architecture of cells and regulate genes.

To learn more about the microscrope, read this recent article in Brandeis Now.