Abstract

Our research is bi-directional: On one hand we use bio-templated systems to realize one-dimensional conducting nanowires and nanodevices for scientific investigation of electrical charge transport in these systems and for nanoelectronics and nanotechnology applications. Examples of the bio-templated systems are dsDNA and its synthetic derivatives and the SP1 protein hybridized with various nanoparticles to form large memory arrays and protein-particles conducting chains. Within this frame we measured electrical charge transport in dsDNA, revealed the energy level spectrum of dsDNA, showed polarizability of DNA derivatives and more. We also demonstrate charging in the hybrid SP1 -nanoparticle systems. On the other hand our other direction of research focuses on an attempt to use our physical approach and tools to address biological issues. We investigate in-vitro a critical stage in the life cycle of the HIV virus, the integration of the “viral DNA ” into “cellular DNA ”, on the single molecule level using atomic force microscopy imaging. The research is conducted by my group in close collaboration with several groups from complementary fields.