2004 & before

A single water molecule acting as gate keeper

A single water molecule is responsible that the connection between a cell and the extracellular matrix is stable and does not immediately rupture if subjected to mechanical tension. This was demonstrated by researchers at the ETH, the University of Washington and the Beckman Institute on integrins. This transmembrane protein anchors cells in their environments. The work is published in the current issue of the journal "Structure".  November 2004

Call in the nanobots

Armies of proteins are helping the builders of nanomachines examine their handiwork. The proteins behave like miniature robots that wander randomly all over the machines' nanoscale surfaces, reporting back on the shape of the device. external pageFebruary 2002call_made