Seminar

Scanning probe and optical microscopy in soft matter (bio)science

Prof. José Luis Toca-Herrera

Dr. José Luis Toca-Herrera is Full Professor, Head of Institute for Biophysics and teaching coordinator of the Department of Nanobiotechnology of the University of Natural Resources and life Sciences Vienna (BOKU, Austria). He is currently teaching a seminar about literature research, writing and evaluating scientific paper, and project planning in the frame of the MSc of Biotechnology at BOKU. His research focuses mainly on the behavior of proteins in solution and soft interfaces, mechanical properties of biomaterials at the micro and nanoscale, and the application of physical methods in sports and environmental research. Prof. Toca-Herrera is co-author of about 70 papers, 13 book chapters and 3 books (one acting as editor). He has published in journals of the importance of Nature, Angewandte Chemie, PNAS, Small or Biotechnology Advances. In this seminar, he will present the use of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and optical (fluorescence) microscopy for studying physico-chemical properties of (model) systems related to biosciences. In particular, he will review the use of such techniques to investigate protein crystal growth, protein elasticity, lipid-protein systems, molecular interactions and cell mechanics. A compact methodology that permits to elucidate the mechanical properties of biomaterials (elastic moduli, relaxation times and viscosity) will be presented. He will also mention other aspects of the SPM-Microscopy combination that can lead to interesting and funny experiments.