One step closer to reality
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Diffusion is the process that lets the color spread through tea, but there is way more to it than that: It`s also one of the most fundamental principles underlying the inner workings of living cells. The ability of molecules to move in or between cells determines where-and if-they can carry out their function. Consequently, the motility of molecules can reveal a lot about their tasks in the living organism. Scientists are therefore using so-called `FRAP` assays (FRAP: Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) to investigate diffusion kinetics, a method established more than 40 years ago. The interdisciplinary team around Patrick Müller at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen, Germany, had a new take on this kind of experiment. In the journal Nature Communications they call attention to the limitations of pre-existing analysis tools for FRAP assays-and offer a flexible and accurate alternative: their open-access software `PyFRAP`.