Phase separation

Blog posts

LUMICKS’ C-Trap^® adopted by two labs at UBC

We are delighted to announce the installation of two C-Trap® instruments at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada, in the labs of Dr. Derek Dee and Dr. Nada Lallous. Derek Dee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Land and Food Systems, focuses his research on the forces that…

Chenlu Yu14 July 2022

Blog posts

Evaluation of protein droplet viscoelasticity with the C-Trap^® reveals new material properties

A recent publication in Science describes a new glass-like structural behavior that protein droplets can adopt, regulating their biochemical behavior as they age. Specifically, through rheological measurements using the C-Trap® optical tweezers, the researchers discovered material properties that may help cells respond to a dynamic molecular environment. The findings offer essential insights into the…

j.yeh16 February 2021

Blog posts

Researchers investigate the effects of biomolecular droplet structure on fusion times using the C-Trap^®

In a recent publication, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago used the C-Trap® to study the relationship between structural properties of biomolecular condensates and their fusion times. They found that fusion times, an indicator of condensate density, varies depending on their structural organization. The findings highlight how physical…

j.yeh27 August 2020

Blog posts

Vesicle-like RNA–protein condensates characterized by the C-Trap^®

We were happy to find yet another publication from the lab of Dr. Priya Banerjee with results from C-Trap® analyses! This time his lab examined the formation and features of vesicle-like RNA–protein structures, which differ from the more known uniform droplets. Apart from offering new insights to an emerging field,…

j.yeh9 July 2020

Blog posts

New application note shows how to study processes associated with phase separation in real time using the C-Trap^®

We are excited to tell you that our application note Manipulate and Study Protein Droplet Dynamics and Properties in Real Time to Understand Phase Separation is now available to download. Here, you can learn how to unravel the properties, formation, and nature of protein droplets, associated with both healthy and…

j.yeh28 November 2019

New C-Trap® Installed at the University at Buffalo

Blog posts

Study establishes molecular forces responsible for condensation of ribonucleoprotein-RNA complexes

Researchers investigated the molecular driving forces underlying the condensation and decondensation of ribonucleoproteins using the C-Trap™. Specifically, they showed that sequence-dependent features of the RNA and ribonucleoprotein molecules partially dictate phase transitions. These findings can help scientists further understand the properties underlying eukaryotic liquid-liquid phase separation, or formation of membrane-less…

j.yeh5 September 2019

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