LBEN works in the research field that can be termed single-molecule biophysics. We develop techniques and methodologies based on optical imaging, biosensing, and single-molecule manipulation with the aim to monitor the behavior of individual biological molecules and complexes in vitro and in live cells. Our current research is focused on four major directions:
(i) Nanofluidics -we use various platforms to study fundamental properties of liquid and ions under confinement and we develop solutions for application ranging from filtration, blue energy harvesting to single-molecule sensing
(ii) Optical microscopy- we develop new modalities in super-resolution microscopies capable of molecular-scale resolution. Modalities include: Single-molecule localization (SMLM), Structured light illumination microscopy (SIM), Super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) for application in cell and solid-liquid interfaces imaging with an aim to extract quantitative information.
(iii) Single-molecule spectroscopy -manipulation Studying how biomolecules function, especially how proteins and nucleic acids interact, using force-based manipulation single-molecule techniques: optical tweezers (OT), optical wrench system (OW), Anti- Brownian Electrokinetic (ABEL) trap and combination of nanopore/nanocapillaries with OT.
(iv) Large-area, wafer-scale growth– In collaboration with LANES we develop solutions for large-area, wafer-scale growth of electronics-grade 2D semiconductors such as MoS2 and related transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).
