THz spectroscopy of proteins in aqueous media

The aim of this project is to demonstrate experimentally - using an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, physicists and electronics specialists in terahertz instrumentation (1 THz =^1012Hz) - the mechanisms used by biomolecules to communicate with each other over long distances and under normal physiological conditions.

A scientific breakthrough linked to this project therefore lies in the demonstration of the activation (under physico-chemical conditions typical of the cell cytoplasm) of long-range, high-frequency electromagnetic interactions inside a living cell. By selectively attracting the various molecular partners involved in specific biochemical reactions, these interactions are said to condition the "molecular machinery". Uncovering these interactions would represent a revolution in our understanding of how living matter evolves.

These long-range interactions between biomolecules (where "long" means up to a few hundred nanometers) will be demonstrated by measuring the electromagnetic field emitted via a biocompatible THz near-field experiment. The development of such instrumentation is in itself an opportunity for technological progress.

In terms of applications, this project opens the way to non-chemical external control of basic cellular functions (gene expression, metabolism, mitosis, etc.), with entirely new non-drug medical actions. It may also help to justify the therapeutic effects widely observed with the use of externally applied electromagnetic fields on cancer cells.