DNA origami nanostructures as molecular rulers to measure membrane thickness

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Lipids, or fat molecules, are very important parts of cells. Cells produce thousands of different lipids and hundreds of proteins to make and transport these lipids, but it is largely unknown why cells invest so much energy into maintaining such a diverse population of lipids. The goal of this interdisciplinary project is to understand how lipids, and especially their side-chains, participate in important biological events. The student will make and characterise a DNA nanostructure-based molecular ruler. This will, for the first time, result in a tool to measure membrane thickness in live cells.