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Last updated Aug. 22, 2012

Department of Physics, University of Alberta, and

National Institute for Nanotechnology, NRC

11421 Saskatchewan Dr.

Edmonton AB T6G 2M9

tel: 780-641-1695

fax: 780-641-1601

We study how single biological molecules like nucleic acids and proteins respond when mechanical forces are applied across the molecules. We use optical tweezers to apply force to the ends of a molecule, causing it to unfold and refold reversibly. The resulting trajectories of the molecule and their dependence on the applied force yield important insight into the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of structure formation in biomolecules.

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