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Gene expression is the vital path that converts DNA information into functional proteins. Our group studies mechanisms and machines of gene expression using single-molecule biophysical methods and biochemistry. We observe single biomachines in real time, both "in vitro" and inside living cells. We also develop single-molecule fluorescence methods, instruments, assays and DNA-based biosensors.
Our team is a Biological Physics research group within Condensed Matter Physics. We are also linked to many of the Oxford Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) programmes (including the Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP), and the Computational Discovery interdisciplinary DPhil programme.
News
July 2021:
- Finally moved to our new space in the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery. Sad to say goodbye to our home in the Department of Physics, but excited for the future ahead!
- We're helping to organise a single-molecule bacteriology symposium for the Biochemical Society, featuring exciting work ranging from DNA repair to membrane organisaation!
June 2021:
- New pre-print further advancing our work on rapid detection of the novel coronvirus by single-molecule FISH! Well done to Christof Hepp and all those involved! Preprint
- We ran the Oxford Town and Gown 2021! Big congrats to all those who ran, and supported the lab!

- Lab day out in the Cotswolds! Great to welcome our new starters and say hello to some old friends as coronavirus restrictions ease!

Charlbury trip group photo
May 2021:
- Team Rapinidis is running again, with a team entered in the Oxford Town and Gown 2021! We are raising funds for Muscular Dystrophy UK! If you are interested, please visit our donation page.
- We are recruiting for a Machine Learning specialist to join our Oxford Martin School funded project on rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance. More information here and here.
- We are gearing up for our move to the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, in the recently completed Oxford Biochemistry building. Stay tuned for further updates!
April 2021:
- Mirjam Kummerlin has won a prestigious Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds fellowship to join us for her PhD/DPhil. Congratulations, and welcome to the group!
- Stelios Chatzimichail has joined our group as a postdoc, to work on single-molecule studies of single-cell bacterial isolates for rapid testing of antimicrobial resistance. Welcome!
- A new rotation student, Alison Farrar has joined our group. Welcome to the group!
- Big congratulations to Rebecca Andrews for passing her viva!
January 2021:
- Maabur Sow passes his viva with flying colours and moves to Ulm to start a post-doctoral position. Congratulations, and best of luck in the new position!
- A new rotation student, Emma Lalande has joined our group. Welcome to the group!
October 2020:
- Breakthrough! A team from our lab has developed a new rapid test for the novel coronavirus, using single-molecule microscopy and advanced machine learning. Well done Nic, Andrew, Christof, Achilles and Nicole! Press release Preprint
- Rasched Haidari from the Computational Discovery DTC has joined our group to work on computational projects involving tracking proteins in bacteria. A warm welcome to Rasched!
- Barak Gilboa leaves us to continue his imaging work at the Novo Nordisk Research Center Oxford. Farewell, and best of luck!
- We are recruiting! Looking for 3 Postdoctoral Fellows to work on developing single-cell imaging assays related to antibiotic resistance (see https://www.oxfordmartin.

September 2020:
- Maabur's paper on single-molecule imaging of nanodiamonds will appear in Nanoscale! Congrats Maabur!

July 2020:
- Back into the lab! In line with government and University regulations, we can finally return to regular experimental work in the lab!
- New paper! Abhishek has just published some of his latest work on using single molecule imaging to study the opening and closing of the RNA polymerase trigger loop, a crucial step of the polymerase mechanism. Well done Abhishek! Mazumder et al 2020 PNAS

April 2020:
- Good news! We have received a generous grant from the Oxford Martin School to establish a programme in rapid detection of antibiotic resistance (see https://www.oxfordmartin.

March 2020:
- We have initiated work on the novel coronavirus, aiming to expand our previous work on rapid labeling and detection of viruses to the novel pathogen, led by Nicole and Achilles. We wish them the best of luck in these unprecedented times!
- Following the advice of the UK government in response to COVID-19, we have switched to remote working.
January 2020:
- Jun Fan leaves us to take up a professorship position at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, in Chengdu. We wish him the best of luck with this exciting opportunity!
December 2019:
- Xiaojuan Li from Beijing Forestry University joins us as an Academic Visitor, to work with us on single-molecule imaging.
November 2019:
- Abhishek and Achilles present work on conformational changes of RNAP at Transcription in Health and Disease in London.
- The Single Molecule Bacteriology meeting will be returning in the third week of September 2020.
- New paper: Robb et al 2019 Sci Rep. Our first report of a super-fast labeling and detection method for viruses. Well done Nicole and the team!
- New paper: Gilboa et al 2019 Biophys J. Solution WiFi offers a simple approach to study the diffusion of single molecules. Congratulations Barak!
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February 2019:
- Welcome to our new website! This is now live! Modern look and a Twitter feed. The old website is now archived.
- We are looking for two postdocs to work on in vivo single-molecule DNA repair. This is an exciting BBSRC-funded collaboration of our lab with Meriem El Karoui (Edinburgh) and Mark Dillingham (Bristol). The advert for the Oxford job is here. DEADLINE extended to March 15.
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Link.
March 2017:
For student and postdoctoral enquiries (with CV), e-mail
Professor Achilles Kapanidis.
Funding Sources:







