Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2025

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Know the Editor Paul Schanda

Editor’s Pick

Institute of Science and Technology Austria Associate Editor Biophysical Reports

Paul Schanda

What are you currently working on that excites you? I’ve always been fascinated by how protein dynamics relate to function. In our ongoing research on a family of allosteric enzymes, we uncovered mechanistic insights beyond any thing we expected. NMR experiments revealed two co-ex isting, interconverting states in equilibrium—an equilibrium that shifts in the presence of substrates. By serendipity, we discovered an unexpected binding site that regulates this balance, suggesting entirely new mechanisms for how the enzyme binds, processes, and releases reactants. I’m constantly amazed by the complexity nature has built into proteins. Often, real insight comes only after staring at data for a long time—and some of the most exciting break throughs happen by “accident.” A key challenge is knowing when a surprising result is worth pursuing, and when it’s a dead end. There’s no formula (though I’d love to know if you have one!). I feel fortunate to work in an environment that lets me keep learning, alongside brilliant colleagues. What have you read lately that you found really interesting or stimulating? Recently, I’ve been inspired by Yuval Harari ’s latest book, Nexus , which prompted me to revisit Harari’s Sapiens . What struck me most was his idea that humanity’s greatest strength is our ability to believe in shared stories and abstract concepts. This enables extraordinary collaboration—but also fuels conflict over imagined entities like “nations.” I tend to think that science also works with storytelling—grounded in an objective truth, though, which we approach in the way humans work: with “stories” and abstract concepts.

Biophysical Reports Enhancing the applied force and range of axial optical tweezers Zheng Zhang and Joshua N. Milstein “This article presents a method for increasing the amount of force that can be applied with axial optical tweezers at reduced laser power and at greater depths than previously possible. These enhancements result from carefully consider ing both optical aberrations and nonlinearity in the signal that arises above a certain force threshold. The accuracy of this method is illustrated by exploring the well-known mechanical behavior of double-stranded DNA under increasing levels of tension. These improvements to axial optical tweezers greatly increase the utility of this novel single-molecule technique for probing biological forces.” Version of Record Published June 16, 2025 DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.bpr.2025.100219

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