ProAct: Actuation spectroscopy as a new label-free tool to study protein properties in real time
Dr Sergii Pud - Faculty of EEMCS
Proteins are essential for all kinds of functions in living cells. Understanding how their structure relates to function is crucial for biology and medicine. Interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy has allowed researchers to observe single proteins without labels, but it cannot detect changes in protein shape or structure.With ProAct, Sergii Pud wants to introduce a breakthrough approach to reveal conformational changes through understanding and measuring protein dipole moments that were previously inaccessible experimentally. He will do this at the BIOS research group by studying how proteins respond to uneven electric fields created by gold nanoelectrodes. ProAct empowers iSCAT microscopy with new modalities, opening new possibilities for studying protein behaviour and interactions at the single-molecule level.
SynthAct3D: Pioneering 3D Real-Space Studies of Synthetic Active Matter
Dr Hanumantha Rao Vutukuri - Faculty of S&T
Living materials have the remarkable ability to organise themselves and adapt by using energy, unlike passive materials, which remain static once they reach equilibrium. Understanding these dynamic processes is key to creating life-like materials with extraordinary capabilities, such as reconfigurability, self-repair, and complex collective behaviour. But scientists don’t yet know how to fully apply these ideas to create advanced materials, making the development of three-dimensional (3D) synthetic systems a significant scientific challenge.With the ERC-CoG project SynthAct3D, Hanumantha Rao Vutukuri wants to find out how we can power dead materials to achieve life-like functionalities. In his Active Soft Matter Lab , his team will develop a unique experimental toolbox, that is artificial microswimmers, to investigate these complex and fascinating phenomena. This groundbreaking work could revolutionise material design, enabling smart materials, targeted drug delivery, and autonomous systems inspired by nature.
About the ERC
Out of 2,313 candidates, the European Research Council (ERC) has selected 328 researchers for this year’s Consolidator Grants. The funding will support excellent scientists and scholars at the career stage where they may still be consolidating their own independent research teams to pursue their most promising scientific ideas. Worth in total ¤678 million, the grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants , Consolidator Grants , Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation.
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