Research Focus

My general research interests lie in elucidating the inner-workings of
proteins, enzymes and biological motors, using instrumentation that combines optical tweezers, single molecule fluorescence and pulsed spectroscopy. This research will be directed towards developing a molecular level description of the motions associated with structural, mechanical, dynamic and energetic changes of these biological systems. Through these emerging technologies, significant advances in our ability to measure receptor/ligand interactions, the inner-workings of biological motors and interactions between multi-unit protein complexes will be achieved, thus providing a deeper understanding of these biological systems.

Publications

Active particle control through silicon using conventional optical trapping techniques. Appleyard, D.C., and Lang, M.J.(2007) Lab on a Chip 7: 1837-1840. Link

Geometric Confinement Influences Cellular Mechanical Properties II - Intracellular Variances in Polarized Cells. Su, J., Brau, R.R., Jiang, X., Whitesides, G.M., Lang, M.J., So, P.T.C. (2007) Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics. 4 (2): 105-118. PDF

Passive and active microrheology with optical tweezers. Brau, R.R., Ferrer, J.M., Lee, H.S., Castro, C.E., Tam, B.K., Tarsa, P.B., Matsudaira, P., Boyce, M.C., Kamm, R.D., Lang, M.J. (2007) Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics 9 (2007) S103-S112. Link

Single M13 bacteriophage tethering and stretching (Cover Article). Khalil, A.S., Ferrer, J.M., Brau, R.R., Kottmann, S.T., Noren, C.J., Lang, M.J., Belcher, A.M. (2007) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104: 4892-4897. PDF

Detecting Force-Induced Molecular Transitions with Florescence Resonant Energy Transfer. Tarsa, P.B., Brau, R.R., Barch, M., Ferrer, J.M., Freyzon, Y., Matsudaira, P., Lang, M.J. (2007) Angewandte Chemie, International Edition 46(12): 1999-2001. Link

Effect of plasmodial RESA protein on deformability of human red blood cells harboring Plasmodium falciparum. J.P. Mills, M. Diez-Silva, D.J. Quinn, M. Dao, M.J. Lang, K.S.W. Tan, C.T. Lim, G. Milon, P.H. David, O. Mercereau-Puijalon, S. Bonnefoy, S. Suresh. (2007) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104, 22 (2007) 9213-9217. PDF

Force of an Actin Spring. Shin, J.H., Tam, B.K., Brau, R.R., Lang, M.J., Mahadevan, L., Matsudaira, P. (2007) Biophysical Journal. 92: 3729-3733. PDF

Optical Trapping for Undergraduates. Appleyard, D.C., Vandermeulen, K., Lee, H., Lang, M.J. (2007) American Journal of Physics. 75(1): 5-14. PDF

Interlaced optical force-fluorescence measurements for single molecule biophysics. Brau, R.R., Tarsa, P.B., Ferrer, J.M., Lee, P., Lang, M.J. (2006) Biophysical Journal 91(3): 1069-1077. PDF

Simultaneous, coincident optical trapping and single-molecule fluorescence. Lang, M.J., Fordyce, P.M., Engh, A.M., Neuman, K.C., Block, S.M. (2004) Nature Methods 1(2): 133-139. PDF

Combined optical trapping and single-molecule fluorescence. Lang, M.J., Fordyce, P.M., and Block, S.M. (2003) Journal of Biology 2(1): 6. PDF

Probing the kinesin reaction cycle with a 2D optical force clamp. Block, S.M., Asbury, C.L., Shaevitz, J.W., and Lang, M.J. (2003) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100(5): 2351. PDF

LBOT-1: Laser-based optical tweezers. Lang, M.J., and Block, S.M. (2003) American Journal of Physics 71(3): 201. PDF

An Automated Two-Dimensional Optical Force Clamp for Single Molecule Studies. Lang, M.J., Asbury, C.L., Shaevitz, J.W., and Block, S.M. (2002). Biophysical Journal 83(1): 491. PDF

A 2D Force Clamp for Kinesin with Fluorescence Capability. M.J. Lang, C.L. Asbury, J.W. Shaevitz and S.M. Block. (2001) Biophysical Journal 80(1): 571a. PDF

The Effect of 2D Forces on Kinesin Motility. M.J. Lang, J.W. Shaevitz, C.L. Asbury, and S.M. Block. (2002) Biophysical Journal 82(1): 62a. PDF

Aqueous Solvation Dynamics Studied by Photon Echo Spectroscopy. M.J. Lang, X. J. Jordanides, X. Song and G. R. Fleming. (1999) Journal of Chemical Physics 110(12): 5884. PDF

Solvation Dynamics in Protein Environments Studied by Photon Echo Spectroscopy. X. J. Jordanides, M. J. Lang, X. Song and G. R. Fleming. (1999) Journal of Physical Chemistry B 103(37): 7995. PDF

Photoinduced electron transfers through sigma bonds in solution. N.C.C. Yang, S.L. Zhang, M.J. Lang, S. Goodman, C. Durnell, G.R. Fleming, H.L. Carrell, R.M. Garavito. (1999) in Electron Transfer - From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules, Part 1: 645.

The intermolecular interaction mechanisms in liquid CS2 at 299 K and 164 K probed with two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy. A. Tokmakoff, M.J. Lang, X.S. Jordanides and G.R. Fleming. (1998) Chemical Physics 233(2-3): 231. PDF

Two-Dimensional Raman Spectroscopy of Vibrational Interactions in Liquids. A. Tokmakoff, M.J. Lang, D.S. Larsen, G.R. Fleming, V. Chernyak and S. Mukamel (1997) Physical Review Letters 79(14): 2702. PDF

Intrinsic Optical Heterodyne Detection of a Two-Dimensional Fifth Order Raman Response. A. Tokmakoff, M. J. Lang, D.S. Larsen and G.R. Fleming. (1997) Chemical Physics Letters 272(1-2): 48. PDF

Direct Measurement of Intrinsic Proton Transfer Rates in Diffusion Controlled Reactions. E. Pines, B-Z. Magnes, M.J. Lang and G.R. Fleming. (1997) Chemical Physics Letters 281(4-6): 413. PDF

Pump-Probe Polarization Anisotropy Study of Femtosecond Energy Transfer within the Photosynthetic Reaction Center of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26. D.M. Jonas, M.J. Lang, Y. Nagasawa, T. Joo and G.R. Fleming. (1996) Journal of Physical Chemistry 100(30): 12660. PDF

Third-Order Nonlinear Time Domain Probes of Solvation Dynamics. T. Joo, Y. Jia, J-Y. Yu, M.J. Lang and G.R. Fleming. (1996) Journal of Chemical Physics 104(16): 6089. PDF

Energy Transfer in the Photosynthetic Reaction Center. D.M. Jonas, M.J. Lang, Y. Nagasawa, and G.R. Fleming. (1996) in Ultrafast Phenomena X,62, Springer, p. 336.

Donor-Acceptor Interaction and Photochemistry of Polymethylene-linked Bichromophores in Solution. S-L. Zhang, M.J. Lang, S. Goodman, C. Durnell, V. Fidler, G.R. Fleming, and N.-C. Yang. (1996) Journal of the American Chemical Society 118(38): 9042. PDF

Energy Transfer and Trapping in Photosystem I Reaction Centers from Cyanobacteria. L. DiMagno, C-K. Chan, Y. Jia, M.J. Lang, J. R. Newman, L. Mets, G.R. Fleming and R. Haselkorn. (1995) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 92(7): 2715. PDF

Observation of Ultrafast Energy Transfer from the Accessory Bacteriochlorophylls to the Special Pair in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers. Y. Jia, D.M. Jonas, T. Joo, Y. Nagasawa, M.J. Lang and G.R. Fleming. (1995) Journal of Physical Chemistry 99(17): 6263. PDF

Ultrafast Energy Transfer within the Bacterial Photosynthetic Reaction Center. D.M. Jonas, M.J. Lang, Y. Nagasawa, S.E. Bradforth, S.N. Dikshit, R. Jimenez, T. Joo and G.R. Fleming. (1995) Proceedings of the Feldafing III Workshop - Reaction Centers of Photosynthetic Bacteria Structure and Dynamics, Munich, Germany.

Recent Abstracts

Structural mechanism for force generation by kinesin. Hwang W.M., Lang M.J., Karplus M. (2007) Biophysical Journal, 201A.

Mechanics of leukocyte membrane tethering during cell rolling Castro C.E., Boyce M.C., Lang M.J. (2007) Biophysical Journal, 484A.

Infecting the single-molecule world: Development of a viral tool for biophysics and mechanics assays. Khalil A.S., Ferrer J.M., Brau R.R., Krauland E.M., Mao J.Y., Noren C.J., Lang M.J., Belcher A.M.. (2007) Biophysical Journal, 520A.

Optical trapping of cells and control of multiple particles through silicon. Appleyard D.C., Lang M.J. (2007) Biophysical Journal, 651A.

Combined optical tweezers force measurement with simultaneous single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) detection. Tarsa P.B., Brau R.R., Barch M., Ferrer J.M., Freyzon Y., Matsudaira P., Lang M.J. (2007) Biophysical Journal, 654A.

Mechanical role of alpha-actinin in F-actin network organization studied using optical tweezers. Lee, H., Ferrer, J.M., Lang, M.J., Kamm, R.D. (2006) Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting. PDF

Reducing enhanced photobleaching for combined, coincident optical tweezers and single molecule fluorescence. Brau, R.R., Ferrer, J.M., Tarsa, P.B., Lee, P., Appleyard, D.C., Lang, M.J. (2006) Biophysical Journal 90(1). PDF

Optical trapping and fluorescence microscope for teaching laboratories. Appleyard, D.C., Lee, H., Vandermeulen, K.Y., Lee, P., Lang, M.J. (2006) Biophysical Journal 90(1). PDF

Employing optical tweezers to study the mechanics of filamentous bacteriophage harnessed to nanomaterial scaffolds. Khalil, A.S., Ferrer, J.M., Brau, R.R., Lang, M.J., Belcher, A.M. (2006) Biophysical Journal 90(1). PDF

Combining magnetic and optical trapping to quantify position dependent variations in cellular rheology. Su, T-T.J., Brau, R., Jiang, X., Whitesides, G.M., Lang, M.J., So, P.T.C. (2006) Biophysical Journal 90(1). PDF

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