Our research bridges applied biomedical engineering with fundamental sciences. It brings new insights to mechanistic questions addressed at single-molecule level by advanced microscopy and acquired with high spatiotemporal resolution. We have developed state-of-art biophysical nanotools, including single-molecule in vitro reconstitution assays, super-resolution microscopy and volumetric imaging methods to visualise the precise structures and pinpoint the molecular mechanisms during important biological processes, including:
i) Developing advanced single-molecule imaging, tracking and manipulation techniques to study motor proteins (kinesin and myosin) and cytoskeleton driven intracellular bio-membrane dynamics and the underlying molecular mechanisms, especially using in vitro re-constitution systems;
ii) Developing and applying cutting-edge super-resolution imaging systems and algorithms (especially STORM and PALM) to resolve the precise structures of subcellular organelles, to map the spatial-temporal distribution of important proteins, to reveal the hierarchical chromatin structures as well as structure-mediated replication and transcription mechanisms in mammalian cell nucleus and bacterial chromatin;
iii) Deciphering the molecular interaction dynamics (termed “molecular interactome”) for the mechanosensor integrin αIIbβ3 during human platelet decision-making process, under clinical trialed drug treatment for cardiovascular diseases, including thrombosis and type 2 diabetes.