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LaserLaB Amsterdam

Contact Details

VU

De Boelelaan 1081

www.laserlab.vu.nl

Erwin Peterman

+31 (0) 20 5987576

Hotel Description

The mission of LaserLaB Amsterdam is groundbreaking scientific research based on the interaction of light with matter, spanning from the research on atoms and molecules to the investigation of living cells and tissue and sustainable energy sources. Within LaserLaB, research is conducted in close collaboration between physicists, chemists, biologists and physicians. LaserLaB Amsterdam is hosted at the VU University, with participating research groups at the UvA, AMC and VUmc. LaserLaB is a founding partner of the new imaging center VU University medical imaging center. LaserLaB Amsterdam is part of LASERLAB-Europe, an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative of the European Union, forming a consortium of the 27 major laser centers in Europe.
The discovery of the laser, 50 years ago, gave scientists access to beams of light of extremely high intensity and very short duration. The laser has become an unique tool for the research into the foundation of nature and life, such as photosynthesis, protein dynamics, chemical reactions and constants of nature.
The research within LaserLaB is organized around the dominating societal needs, Human Health and Energy. Some 100 scientists are involved in laser-oriented scientific research of applied and fundamental nature.
The increasing demand for health and longevity requires a better understanding of the basic processes of life. The LaserLaB research is focused on the development and application of novel optical methods, techniques and instruments to study the interaction between proteins, DNA, cells and tissue. This knowledge will lead to innovative diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
Energy production will play a crucial role in our future. The process of photosynthesis in plants serves as an example for renewable energy production. By studying this process, it is possible to develop more efficient solar cells or biofuels. The laser has made it possible to study the structure of living materials and matter and the chemical and physical processes that take place within them.The LaserLab will serve as a powerful multidisciplinary educational faculty, especially for national and international (Master’s) students and will have a unique position in Europe.

Structural biology
Public
  • Biomedical & health
  • Other
  • image analysis
  • analysis of multidimensional data
  • biochemistry / molecular biology
  • photosynthesis
  • light receptors
  • biomedical imaging
  • molecular and structural biology
  • cell biology

Expertise and Track Record

LaserLaB Amsterdam has unique purpose-built instrumentation for:
– optical coherence microscopy
– Raman microscopy
– optical tweezers in combination with fluorescence microscopy
– single-molecule fluorescence microscopy
– harmonic generation microscopy
– fiber-top technology
– ultra-fast spectroscopy
– atomic force microscopy

LaserLaB Europe. We are one of the 22 facilities for European access.
Chromavision A LaserLaB group is leading in this FET Open Horizon 2020 EU project.
LUMICKS is a spin-off company from LaserLaB, bringing advanced single-molecule instrumentation to market.
Optics11 is a spin-off company from LaserLaB, bringing optical fiber nano sensing solutions to market.

We have ample experience in using advanced optical instrumentation for biological, biomedical and clinical application.

  • Alexandre, M.T.A., Gundermann, K., Pascal, A.A., Grondelle, R. van, Buchel, C. & Robert, B.H. (2014). Probing the carotenoid content of intact Cyclotella cells by resonance Raman spectroscopy. Photosynthesis Research, 119, 273-281. 10.1007/s11120-013-9942-y
  • Kruger, T.P.J., Ilioaia, C., Johnson, M.P., Ruban, A. & Grondelle, R. van (2014). Disentangling the low-energy states of the major light-harvesting complex of plants and their role in photoprotection. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 10.1016/j.bbabio.2014.02.014
  • Mahaputra Wijaha, M., Iwata, T., Yamamoto, J., Hitomi, K., Iwai, S., Getzoff, D., Kennis, J.T.M., Mathes, T. & Kandori, H. (2014). FAD Chromophore Charge Controls the Conformation of CPD- Photolyase α-Helices. Biochemistry, 2014(53), 5864-5875. 10.1021/bi500638b
  • Candelli, A., Holpthausen, J.T., Depken, M, Brouwer, I., Franker, M.A.M.L., Marchetti, M., Heller, I., Bernard, S., Garcin, E.B., Modesti, M., Wyman, C., Wuite, G.J.L. & Peterman, E.J.G. (2014). Visualization and quantification of nascent RAD51 filament formation at single- monomer resolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2014(111), 15090-15095. 10.1073/pnas.1307824111
  • Novoderezhkin, V. & Grondelle, R. van (2013). Spectra and Dynamics in the B800 Antenna: Comparing Hierarchical Equations, Redfield and Forster Theories. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 117(38), 11076-11090.
  • Valkunas, L., Chmeliov, J., Kruger, T.P.J., Ilioaia, C. & Grondelle, R. van (2012). How Photosynthetic Proteins Switch. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 3(19), 2779-2784.
  • Biebricher, A.S., Hirano, S., Enzlin, J., Wiechens, N., Streicher, W.W., Huttner, D., Wang, L.H.C., Nigg, E.A., Owen-Hughes, T., Liu, Y., Peterman, E.J.G., Wuite, G.J.L. & Hickson, I.D. (2013). PICH: a DNA translocase specially adapted for processing anaphase bridge DNA. Molecular Cell, 51(5), 691-701.
  • King, G. A. and Gross, P. and Bockelmann, U. and Modesti, M. and Wuite, G. J. L. and Peterman, E. J. G., (2013). "Revealing the competition between peeled ssDNA, melting bubbles, and S-DNA during DNA overstretching using fluorescence microscopy", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 110, no. 10, pp. 3859-3864
  • Gross, Peter and Laurens, Niels and Oddershede, Lene B. and Bockelmann, Ulrich and Peterman, Erwin J. G. and Wuite, Gijs J. L., (2011). "Quantifying how DNA stretches, melts and changes twist under tension", Nature Physics, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. 731-736.
  • Brouwer, Ineke; Sitters, Gerrit; Candelli, Andrea; Heerema, Stephanie J.; Heller, Iddo ; de Melo, Abinadabe J.; Zhang, Hongshan; Normanno, Davide; Modesti, Mauro ; Peterman, Erwin J. G. ; Wuite, Gijs J. L. (2016) "Sliding sleeves of XRCC4-XLF bridge DNA and connect fragments of broken DNA", Nature 535, 566-569

LaserLaB Europe. We are one of the 22 facilities for European access.

Hotel Characteristics

  • 16
  • 5

5%

  • Most equipment is purpose built

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