Mechanobiochemistry Group

Molecular Force Sensors

In biological systems force sensors are mostly proteins. These proteins react to the mechanical influence with a conformational change that triggers a biochemical signalling cascade. Our goal is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms and utilize them for the design of artificial force sensors with novel properties. Our artificial force sensors possess an optical readout signal that provides information about the current conformation of the sensor. These artificial sensors are not necessarily proteins, but can also be composed of other biological or even synthetic molecules.