Events

Date: 20 March 2025   Time: 13:00 - 14:00     

Location: online: https://qmul-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81810915169

Heteropolymer systems provide a versatile framework for understanding biomolecular phenomena
across scales. In this talk, we bridge two distinct domains: (1) optical DNA mapping (ODM),
a technique for generating sequence-specific fluorescence "barcodes" to aid genome assembly, and
(2) the aging dynamics of RNA-protein condensates, membraneless organelles implicated in cellular
function and disease. For ODM, we use a computational framework combining transfer matrix
formalism with Rouse polymer dynamics and photophysical modeling to generate synthetic barcodes
that closely match experimental traces. In the second part, we examine a coarse-grained system
of CAG repeat RNA polymers that form biomolecular condensates, revealing evidence of glassy
dynamics and aging: a broad distribution of relaxation times and distinct processes associated with
inter-chain and intra-chain arrangements.