Structural investigations of biomolecules under extreme conditions

Scattering methods like small-angle X-ray scattering and X-ray reflectivity enable to perform in situ studies on biomolecules under various conditions of temperature and pressure. These methods are employed in this work to shed light on the changes of size and shape as well as on the interactions between biomolecules under extreme conditions. Most of these aim to simulate conditions of temperature and pressures encountered in hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, where life might have evolved. This work includes many examples from all classes of biomolecules, lipids, nucleic acids as well as peptides and proteins, ranging from fairly simple to very complex systems

Productive encounter : molecularly imprinted nanoparticles prepared using magnetic templates

Synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles by surface initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization in presence of a chiral template conjugated to magnetic nanoparticles is reported. The approach leads to imprinted nanoparticles featuring enantioselectivity and enhanced affinity compared to nanoparticles prepared using free template