Dr. Steffen Sahl (left) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Hell at a MINFLUX microscope. © Irene Böttcher-Gajewski / Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences

Intra-molecular distances in biomolecules measured optically with Ångström precision

A team led by physicists Steffen Sahl and Stefan Hell at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg has succeeded in measuring distances within biomolecules using a light microscope, down to 1 nanometer and with Ångström precision. The intra-molecular resolution achieved with MINFLUX microscopy makes it possible to optically record the spatial distances between subunits in macromolecules and thus to detect different conformations of individual proteins in the light microscope (Science, 10 October 2024).

 
Link to the press release