Optical nanomotion detection for space biology research and the fight against pathogenic microorganisms
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MSCA-22-RWillaert02
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Beschrijving van het project
The existence of life in extraterrestrial environments is currently one of the most intriguing scientific questions. Since the chemical composition of these organisms is unknown, a chemistry independent life detector would be an appropriate device to equip interplanetary mission lander probes in their quest for searching extraterrestrial living organisms. We developed an innovative nanoscale motion sensor that detects living organisms in a chemistry independent manner. This new technique is based on measuring the nanometric scale oscillations (nanomotion detection) that characterize living organisms. These vibrations seem to be a universal signature of life. Every living cell, whether a yeast cell or a bacterium, the cell of a tree or a human body cell, vibrates throughout its life. The method will be further developed as a new sensor to detect life in the Universe. This cellular nanomotion method can also be used to fight pathogenic microorganisms (Kasas et al. Antibiotics 2021, 10, 287). We developed a new technique that is based on the visualization of the nanomotions of single cells with an optical microscope (Willaert et al. Science Advances 2020, 9, eaba3139). We are developing microfluidic techniques to easily apply the method as a fast antimicrobial susceptibility method for pathogenic bacteria and yeasts.
As a future MSCA fellow, you will prepare the Marie Sklodowska Curie - Individual Fellowship proposal with the support of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the supervisor Prof. Ronnie Willaert. In case of successful application, you will be hosted within the Structural Biology Brussels (SBB) research group of the VUB, the International Joint Research Group VUB-Ecole Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) BioNanotechnology & Nanomedicine (NANO), and the Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent NanoMicrobiology (NAMI); collaborations with PD Dr. MD Sandor Kasas (EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland), prof. Bart Devreese (Lab Microbiology, Ghent University, Belgium).
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Structural Biology Brussels
Structural Biology Brussels (SBB) is headed by Prof. Dr. ir. Jan Steyaert and focusses on research in structural biology. We study the structure of proteins and DNA from the molecular to the atomic level. By determining the position of atoms in a macromolecule (proteins, for example, contain thousands of atoms) we can derive how such molecules can act as tiny machines, and determine how they interact with each other. The end goal of this research is to unravel the complex machinery that makes cells work.
Our work on fundamental aspects of biology and biochemistry also leads to important industrial and biomedical applications. If you know how a protein works, you can also find out why these tiny machines sometimes fail to work as they should. For example, if we learn more about the molecular cause of certain hereditary diseases, or the reason why bacteria can resist antibiotics, then this serves as the first step in rational drug design: developing novel drugs based on knowledge of protein structure and their mode of action.
SBB is a large research groep with about ten principal investigators. This critical mass allows us to employ many complementary state-of-the-art techniques in the field, whose results we combine to obtain a picture of the macromolecules under study that is as accurate and correct as possible. The most important technique we use is X-ray diffraction on protein crystals, as well as NMR spectroscopy, SAXS and electron microscopy. These are supported by our expertise in biochemistry, protein engineering, molecular biophysics and computational structural biology.
At the SBB we also perform fundamental research into the crystallisation and nucleation of biological macromolecules; this goes as far as employing microgravity in the International Space Station.
Finally, the SBB is part of the Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC). The SBRC is part of the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), an institute which encompasses leading research groups with biotechnology interests over the Flemish universities. The aim of the VIB is to translate results from fundamental research in medicine, agriculture and industry.