One of the ultimate goals of molecular biology is to watch how single proteins work in their native state. The current mainstream approach of single molecule fluorescence relies on introducing external fluorescent markers which can lead to severe issues affecting the experimental results. As an alternative to fluorescence labelling, working in the

Plasmonics can be used to enhance the emission properties of single quantum nano-objects and use them as bright ultrafast single photon sources. However, plasmonic trapping single quantum objects has remained highly challenging so far. In a recent Nano Letters publication, we introduce a dedicated plasmonic nanoantenna design to trap single colloid

Proteins can feature ultrafast structural dynamics in the nanosecond timescale which are very challenging to measure using conventional techniques such as single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET). So far, the limited fluorescence brightness and the relatively long fluorescence lifetimes have limited the temporal resolution of smF

G-quadruplex structures of DNA are promising target sites for anticancer therapy. However, the interaction of G-quadruplex with proteins remains poorly understood, notably the association and dissociation kinetics. In a recent Nucleic Acid Research publication entitled “Fast interaction dynamics of G-quadruplex and RGG-rich peptides unveiled in z

We are opening a position for postdoctoral fellowship: experimental nanophotonics and plasmonic nano-optical tweezers. Read the details and apply through the CNRS institutional website: https://bit.ly/3HiobDC Position filled and no longer available. Contact Jerome Wenger for enquiries.

Back into direct physical format, Jerome will participate to the next "Nuit Européenne des Chercheurs" at Aix en Provence on Sept. 24th. More details and program here.

What happens when you shine a UV laser onto a single aluminum nanohole filled with water? See the video below of the experiment, accelerated 5x. Holes get brighter once exposed to the laser: this is laser-induced corrosion of the aluminum film by water molecules. It is not direct laser damage (we use a power of 60 µW, 3x below the direct photodama

Jerome will give an invited talk at the Biophysical Society Meeting next week. For those unable to join or for those just curious about it, here is a copy of the presentation slides about using metal nanoapertures to improve single molecule fluorescence detection. - BPSmeeting_Wenger_Feb22_export.pdf

Ultraviolet plasmonics has attracted recently a growing attention owing to the possibility to take advantage of increased light-matter interaction in the UV range. However, the core question of demonstrating the capacity of UV plasmonic structures to enhance the radiative emission rate of proteins has remained unproven yet. In a recent article publ

Our team-member Aleksandr Barulin recently got awarded the thesis prize of the Doctoral School "Physics and Sciences of the Matter" for his PhD work. Congratulations Aleksandr for this well-deserved prize!