Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO

PI @sheffielduni, Single-molecules, #FRET, #openScience, #openMicroscopy, #founder and #CEO @EI_Science “collision of science and religion”

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

Build your own smfBox - everything you need to build and run accurate and dynamic smFRET experiments - cheaply! #openAccess #openSource #openMicroscopy Paper here:

https://t.co/StjkqwwwfI

And a great intro video here from the master of microscopy nightmares @DrLachie. Enjoy!

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

@ewjwallace Thanks Ed! Would be great to catch up properly.

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

How does a repair enzyme find one damaged spot among 3 billion base pairs?

Just published in Nucleic Acids Research:

we show that DNA damage itself reshapes the double helix, well beyond the lesion. A non-protein start to damage detection?

1/5

https://t.co/SRBgLjQirT

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

Why smFRET?

Bulk methods average billions of molecules and blur small changes.

smFRET measures each one, so a single-oxygen shift shows up.

We put this on the benchtop with EI-FLEX Pro. Talk to us: https://t.co/z16sxeljpi

5/5 #smFRET #DNArepair

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

The surprise: a ribonucleotide differs from normal DNA by ONE oxygen atom, yet it bent the duplex by 9.4°, close to a gap where a whole nucleotide is missing (10.9°).

Each lesion leaves its own structural fingerprint.

4/5

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

The data: each box = individual molecules measured one at a time; black line = undamaged DNA.

Nicks and gaps shift the helix most.

Abasic sites, 8-oxoG and ribonucleotides shift it more subtly but significantly, and effects reach distant sites.

3/5

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

How do you detect a few degrees of DNA bending? A ruler made of light.

smFRET puts two dyes on each molecule; energy transfer between them reports distance at the 2–10 nm scale.

6 duplexes × 9 dye positions × 3 repeats = 162 measurements.

2/5

[Ronald Breaker @RonBreaker]

Our new paper in PNAS reports the presence of Na+ and Li+ #aptamer RNAs in mammals. The latter hints at natural roles for #lithium in humans and provides direct links to #BipolarDisorder. Now seeking funding to study Li+ biology and create new therapeutics.

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

Are you trying to characterise higher-order protein complexes, but finding it difficult to quantify their affinity, cooperativity, and kinetic stability directly?

Many biological processes and emerging therapeutic modalities - including multispecific antibodies, molecular glues, and targeted protein degraders - depend on higher-order protein complexes whose behaviour cannot be understood from binary interactions alone.

Join Dr Stefan Mueller in our upcoming Exciting Seminar, where he will show how fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) on the EI-FLEX Pro HT enables direct, solution-phase characterisation of multicomponent protein interactions.

Using the HER2-targeting antibodies trastuzumab and pertuzumab as a model system, he will demonstrate how FCCS can quantify binary binding, directly measure ternary complex formation, and reveal cooperative interactions that stabilise the complex - providing new molecular insight into the success of dual HER2-targeted therapies.

He'll also explore how this approach can help accelerate the discovery and characterisation of next-generation therapeutics built on higher-order protein assemblies.

Join us on the 20th August to see how FCCS is expanding what's possible in ternary complex analysis.

Register here > https://t.co/1HDTIox7kk

#ternarycomplex #fccs #proteininteractions #drugdiscovery

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

📢 Upcoming Exciting Seminar | Conformational control: From single molecule FRET to novel biotechnologies

🗓️ 13th July | Virtual
⏱️ 11:00am EDT | 8:00am PDT | 4:00pm BST | 5:00pm CEST

Explore the past, present and future capabilities of single-molecule FRET with our CEO and founder, Tim, and Prof. Taekjip Ha, who made the first ever smFRET measurement 30 years ago. His talk will cover smFRET to next-generation genome engineering and imaging technologies.

Check out the abstract for his presentation in the newsletter here > https://t.co/yRNaXcujsf

Register now 🔗 https://t.co/SLl9c1vIcu

#smfret #singlemoleculefret #biophysics #webinar #seminar

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

👋 Do you lead a core facility offering powerful structural techniques like cryo-EM or X-ray crystallography?

Many biological systems are dynamic in solution. Techniques like smFRET and FCS complement structural approaches by resolving conformational dynamics, heterogeneity, and interactions in real time.

Add a solution-based, single-molecule layer to your facility’s capabilities - and help users connect structure to function.

Learn how to complement your structural toolkit with dynamics using the EI-FLEX system: https://t.co/SsRyWPtZaR

#corefacility #biophysics #biochemistry #singlemolecule

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

⚡ Rapid quantification of binding affinities is essential when developing and characterising antibodies, or smaller binders such as Fabs.

In our latest application note - produced in collaboration with the Coleman Lab at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - we demonstrate how fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) can be performed using the EI-FLEX to assess antibody-antigen binding affinities and generate Kd values for candidate molecules.

Nikfarjam et al. used the EI-FLEX to assess the binding of single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) and antibody fragments (Fabs) against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. A homebuilt system was used to perform FCS on full-length antibodies.

Discover how:

• FCS can determine Kd values for a range of binders, such as monoclonal antibodies, scFvs and Fabs
• High-throughput data acquisition and analysis permit rapid assessment of binding affinity for molecules produced by different methods, such as in cell-free systems
• Different labels, such as FLAG-tags, can impact antibody-antigen binding

Interested in moving away from the surface to quantify antibody affinities in solution? Download our app note to learn more! > https://t.co/WVhwcZiXfb

#FCS #antibodyantigenbinding #binding

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

👋 Are you studying the organisation of cell membrane receptors but feel frustrated by standard imaging methods that can’t give the resolution or specificity needed to really understand the composition in enough detail?

This is where Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) stands out. With its ability to deliver high spatio-temporal resolution, FCS enables researchers to probe membrane dynamics with precision, while remaining flexible across diverse biological samples and labelling strategies.

👀 Check out Joelle Goulding's Exciting Seminar where she shares her work applying FCS in biological systems to characterise:

• Diffusional movement

• Expression levels

• Stoichiometry of membrane proteins

💪 By examining how these parameters change in response to drug stimuli, her research helps uncover how receptors are regulated, how they are organised, and ultimately how this organisation shapes cellular responses.

Watch here > https://t.co/32VZS32Q7k

#FCS #dynamics #biophysics #singlemolecule #proteindynamics

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

🔍 Do you want to know whether your biomolecules form static, heterogeneous populations or are dynamically interconverting?

Our latest application note highlights how the EI-FLEX system can recover rates of molecular conformational dynamics, using DNA hairpins as a well-characterised test system. DNA hairpins reversibly transition between open and closed states on a millisecond timescale, with kinetics that are sensitive to NaCl concentration. This makes them an ideal model for validating kinetic measurements using #smFRET.

In this application note, you will discover how:

• smFRET can capture conformation dynamics of molecular structures

• Burst variance analysis separates static, heterogeneous populations from those that are dynamically undergoing conformational changes

• The influence of salt concentrations on the opening and closing rates of DNA hairpins can be determined by photon-by-photon hidden Markov modelling

If you want to get more out of your #FRET histograms and delve into your dynamic data, access the application note here > https://t.co/xjGx91zxxK

#DNA #biomolecules #conformationaldynamics

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

🎩 Core facility managers wear every hat.

Uptime, data quality, training users, space constraints... all at once.

That’s why the tools that truly earn their place in a shared facility have a few things in common:

💪 Robust performance and reliability
⚡ Fast, intuitive workflows for every user level
🦶 Small footprint, big scientific reach

We'd love to speak to core facility managers who want to offer easy and reliable access to traditionally complex biophysical techniques like smFRET, FCS and FCCS.... because we have a very Exciting solution!

Learn more and get in touch > https://t.co/qlGgopduq9

#smFRET #corefacilities #biophysics #FCS #singlemolecule

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

👀 At the Biophysical Society conference this week, but haven't visited both 401 yet?

Here are 6 reasons why you should!

🔬 See how you can bring single-molecule smFRET and FCS into your own lab - no dark room or specialist expertise required
🧬 Discover how to uncover transient intermediates and conformational dynamics that ensemble methods may be missing
📊 Learn how to quantify binding kinetics and stoichiometry in solution with true single-molecule sensitivity
🧊 Talk to us about adding highly complementary, real-time dynamics to your cryo-EM, X-ray, or NMR structures and bringing static models to life
💻 See how intuitive software and built-in guidance make expert-level data accessible - with full experimental support from our team
🤝 Meet our highly knowledgeable single-molecule specialists and discuss how we can support your next project or grant

Plus @Craggs_Lab, Mahmoud, Audrey, Jake and Josh are poised and ready to talk to you about our brand new system, the EI-FLEX Pro.

✓ Automated alignment and focus
✓ Real-time analysis and publication-ready plots
✓ Scale when you're ready with a modular design that allows an easy upgrade to 96 or 384-well plates
✓ Compact benchtop footprint

See you at booth 401!

#bps #singlemolecule #biophysics #biomolecules #discovery

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

Congratulations to Alison Twelvetrees, Evelyn Smith and team at the University of Sheffield on their publication in iScience! - https://t.co/uSUTCFTKUe

Amazing to see the in-cell labelling and smFRET measurements in cell lysate.

#smfret #celllysate #singlemolecule #proteins

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

"Biology happens when individual molecules interact - it happens in solution, in motion, and often in fleeting moments that determine function. Freely diffusing smFRET captures these moments with nanometre precision, giving researchers access to conformational landscapes, binding kinetics, and mechanistic pathways that bulk or immobilised methods simply can't capture.

Whether you want to free yourself from the frustrations of immobilised single-molecule methods, see your beautiful static structures come to life in their native environment, or unlock deeper mechanistic insights with dynamic structural context, this handbook is designed to support you."

This quote from our founder and CEO, @Craggs_Lab , explains why we've created a practical handbook for smFRET.

It brings together the core principles, experimental workflows, and analytical strategies that underpin modern smFRET. Designed for researchers at every stage - from newcomers to seasoned practitioners - it distils the essential knowledge required to generate high-quality, in-solution smFRET data and interpret it with confidence.

Available to download now - https://t.co/SO5pq4EQ9Q

#singlemolecule #molecularbiophysics #structuralbiology #smFRET #scienceresource

[Tim Craggs - Exciting CEO @Craggs_Lab]

Looking forward to a busy week!

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

🇺🇸 This time next week, we'll be midway through a trip to beautiful San Francisco to meet with investors and customers.

If you’ll be in the area and would like to catch up while we’re there, we’d love to connect to discuss the impact of in-solution single-molecule techniques for academia and industry, as well as our Exciting plans for 2026.

Just reply to this post or contact us at [email protected].

We're around Monday through Thursday. Hope to see you there!

#startups #sanfrancisco #singlemolecule #smFRET #FCS #FCCS

[Exciting Instruments @EI_science]

🇺🇸 This time next week, we'll be midway through a trip to beautiful San Francisco to meet with investors and customers.

If you’ll be in the area and would like to catch up while we’re there, we’d love to connect to discuss the impact of in-solution single-molecule techniques for academia and industry, as well as our Exciting plans for 2026.

Just reply to this post or contact us at [email protected].

We're around Monday through Thursday. Hope to see you there!

#startups #sanfrancisco #singlemolecule #smFRET #FCS #FCCS

[Prof Zoë Waller @DrZoeWaller]

We are recruiting! PDRA to work on a BBSRC funded position with Prof. Yiliang Ding and Dr. Tim Craggs. We are looking for someone with experience with cell culture and gene expression analysis - Please do share. Details below:

https://t.co/ANTbJ0ghip+