My current research
My current research aims to understand how DNA is transcribed. Information about this processes is encoded in the spatial distribution and diffusion behaviours of the molecules involved, which I study through the use of super-resolution imaging and deep learning.
A technique known as PhotoActivated Localisation Microscopy (PALM) is central to my work. By labelling molecules with fluorescent probes, which are excited one at a time, and fitting a mathematical function to the observed fluorescent spot, individual molecules can be located with a resolution an order of magnitude beyond the diffraction limit of light. Tracking these molecules over time leads to a description of their diffusive behaviour, revealing the actions of the individual molecules. Building on this technique using computational, and optical approaches, we are able to make observations that allow us to test fundamentally important biological questions by studying the sequences of events from the point of view of a single molecule.
A protein machine known as RNA polymerase (RNAP) transcribes genes encoded in DNA into messenger RNA, which are the instructions for making new proteins. The targetting of this machine to specific groups of genes is performed by transcription factors, such as the bacterial sigma factor σ⁷⁰. The interaction of these proteins underpins gene expression, which makes possible all known forms of life.
