On 28th November OxTalks will move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events' (full details are available on the Staff Gateway).
There will be an OxTalks freeze beginning on Friday 14th November. This means you will need to publish any of your known events to OxTalks by then as there will be no facility to publish or edit events in that fortnight. During the freeze, all events will be migrated to the new Oxford Events site. It will still be possible to view events on OxTalks during this time.
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Our research explores linear biomolecular motors with a ‘build-to-understand’
approach. In contrast to studies of native motors, we assemble functional modules
to reveal design principles behind their robust, unidirectional motion despite
operating at energy levels only marginally above thermal noise. Our work follows
two main directions. First, we develop hybrid motor systems by integrating a
dynein-derived core with non-motor actin- or DNA-binding proteins. These hybrid
motors drive the sliding of actin filaments or DNA nanotubes, while DNA
nanotechnology permits precise spatial organisation of binding sites and
directional control. Second, employing the same motor engineering techniques, we
presented the first evidence that a biomolecular motor can employ two distinct
mechanisms to generate directional movement. Ultimately, our aim is to emulate
the complexity of biological systems with synthetic molecules, thereby providing
fresh insights into the design principles underpinning dynamic biological
processes.
