TUSCany Project
Terahertz Ultra Strong Coupling for mAcromolecules structure aNalYse & control
Start Date: October 1, 2023
Completion Date: 30 September 2028
Funded by the European Research Council (ERC-2022-COG grant agreement 101089040)
Total Cost: € 2,000,000
The TUSCany project seeks to understand vibrational strong coupling in the Terahertz range for macromolecules and translating this knowledge into an invaluable tool for biochemists and biophysicists.
Macromolecules such as proteins and DNA, perform the majority of the functions of the living organism and these functions arise from their 3D-structure. Modifying this structure has dramatic consequences, as seen in protein misfolding diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Non-invasively probing and modifying this structure poses a significant challenge for both microbiology research and practical applications.
TeraHertz vibrational spectroscopy have been proven to probe vibrations spreading at the nanoscale on molecular crystals. Theoretical results unveil that macromolecules have delocalized vibrations over their whole 3D-structure in the Terahertz range. Therefore, TeraHertz spectroscopy has the potential to revolutionize protein structure analysis by providing information about protein structure and dynamics in a realistic environment.
Moreover, the strong coupling of light and matter occurs when a material is positioned at a high density of states of a photonic mode, resonant with one of its transitions made the heyday of quantum mechanics. Recently, vibrational strong coupling has demonstrated its potential to control chemical reactions by altering the product ratio in specific chemical reactions through the coupling of a cavity mode to a vibrational transition, opening up new avenues for the control of chemical reactions.
TUSCany focuses on linking the TeraHertz vibrational spectrum of proteins with their structure and therefore function, and ultimately to influence it thanks to strong coupling to a photonic mode.
The team develops micro/nano THz photonics devices and experiments to establish reliable methods for macromolecules THz spectroscopy from cryogenic to body temperatures on samples from the single macromolecules to the cell culture. Next, we will move towards demonstrating vibrational strong coupling in the TeraHertz on these samples. This foundational work will be crucial for building the final experiments, with the aim of modifying the function of macromolecules, including catalysis and the assembly of macromolecules through strong coupling.
