Joshua N. Milstein

Research Areas:

Single-molecule biophysics, DNA mechanics and dynamics

Research Profile:

The Milstein laboratory for biological physics focuses on studying the spatial organization and dynamical motion of DNA,which, while being intimately involved in genetic function, has operational effects that are not clearly understood. Errors in genetic expression, besides arising from mistakes in the code itself, could also manifest by macromolecules that over-twist or over-stretch the DNA, problems in packing within the cell or nucleus, long-range interference between genes, and so on. Our research aims to clarify important biological questions from how bacteria transform into harmful pathogens to how embryonic stem cells differentiate. To address these questions, we build and develop single-molecule tools such as optical tweezers, for applying controlled forces to biological molecules, and super-resolution microscopes, for imaging fine structure within bacteria and the cell nucleus.  Our laboratory is a truly-interdisciplinary environment filled with a range of researchers, from physicists and biomedical engineers to biologists and computer scientists.

Courses Taught:

PHY255H5, PHY325H5, PHY421H5, and JCB487Y5 (undergraduate); PHY2704H1 (graduate)