News
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Bending DNA costs less energy than assumed 09 November 2018
The way DNA folds, largely determines which genes are read out. John van Noort and his group have quantified how easily rolled-up DNA parts stack. Thi...
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What is the shape of cells? 29 October 2018
Cells in our body are constantly performing small tasks, such as repairing wounds. They exert force by changing shape. But how do cells translate thei...
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NWO ECHO grant for research on fickle RNA production 31 January 2018
Genes are active sometimes, and other times they remain dormant for a while. Leiden physicist John van Noort receives an NWO ECHO grant to find out ho...
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Daniela Kraft wins Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year Award 20 December 2017
The editors of Biophysical Journal have selected a publication from Daniela Kraft’s group as the Paper of the Year 2017. The award recognizes an outst...
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Biophysicists unravel exact folding of a single gene 01 December 2017
The way genes are folded determines their activity in our body. Leiden biophysicists are now the first to unravel this structure molecule-by-molecule....
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Female Researchers in the Spotlight for Physics Ladies Day 08 November 2017
On Thursday 9 November, Leiden University organized its annual Physics Ladies Day for female high school students. To mark this festive day, we put th...
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Controlling active matter with curvature 23 October 2017
Nematic liquid crystals form the key ingredients of most tv screens. The active version of these complex fluids forms a useful model for physicists to...
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New Alzheimer’s research method uses muons 06 September 2017
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. This makes fundamental research on the precise cause of the illness of vital importance. One...
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Veni Grant for Lucia Bossoni 02 August 2017
Postdoc Lucia Bossoni has received an NWO Veni grant to research brain diseases for the next three years. She will work in labs at both the LUMC and t...
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Cross-talk between stagnation points in flow and orientation 07 July 2017
Publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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John van Noort appointed Professor in Biophysics 14 June 2017
Leiden University has appointed John van Noort as Professor in Biophysics. He studies the way in which our DNA is folded and read out.
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NWO Projectruimte Grant for DNA Flexibility Research 17 May 2017
Theoretical physicist Helmut Schiessel receives an NWO Projectruimte grant of 390,000 euro. He will use this budget to hire a postdoc and a PhD studen...
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Human DNA softer than DNA single-celled life 07 February 2017
Single-celled organisms have stiffer DNA than multicellular lifeforms like humans and rice. Theoretical physicists managed to simulate the folding in ...
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Mechanism MRI amplifying agents explored 18 January 2017
Special amplifying agents can make MRI scanners and NMR techniques hundreds of times more sensitive. Leiden physicists have now found a method to test...
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Novel detection method for iron in Alzheimer’s brain 12 December 2016
For many years, scientists have observed a correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and a surplus of iron in the brain. However, a causal link between ...