AntennaFRET: optical nanoantennas to enhance protein biophysics applications of Förster resonance energy transfer – AntennaFRET

Single Molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a major technique to measure biomolecular conformations and interactions. However, its range is limited to nanometer distances and nanomolar concentrations. The objective of AntennaFRET is to extend the applicability of smFRET using optical nanoantennas to achieve long distance, biologically-relevant micromolar concentration and improved sensitivity. This breakthrough is achieved by introducing novel nanophotonic elements to manipulate energy transfer at the nanoscale and go significantly beyond the conventional diffraction-limited microscopes. AntennaFRET puts together two highly complementary partners with expertise on nanophotonics, biophysics and molecular biology. This synergy will enable groundbreaking applications on single protein machineries. The project outcomes will benefit many applications in structural biology, drug discovery and energy conversion at the nanoscale.