🧫✨ New paper in @wiley.com: Optical Manipulation of Whispering Gallery Mode Microlasers for Controlled Cellular Delivery We use laser tweezers to place microlasers onto single cells and watch their uptake in real time: doi.org/10.1002/adom... @thegatherlab.bsky.social @centrelightlife.bsky.social

🎉Important day for our Department! The construction of the new building for Chemistry and for Teacher Education is progressing at pace. Completion of the first part is anticipated for 2029🤞, enabling research and teaching in close proximity. And it already looks FANTASTIC!

Universität zu Köln@unicologne.bsky.social · 2mo ago

⚗️🧪 Universität zu Köln legt Grundstein der neuen Chemie Heute, am 1. Juni, wurde der Grundstein für die Neubauten der Chemischen Institute für die Bereiche Chemie und Biochemie und der Didaktiken in einem feierlichen Akt gelegt. Mehr dazu ▶️ uni.koeln/EX7YJ #uniköln #unicologne #unibaut #chemie

📣 Looking for a #PhD position in #organic #electronics, #molecular #templates or #optoelectronic devices? Then check out the new funding round of the research training group TIDE! Up to 13 projects available 👇

TIDE (RTG 2591)@tide-rtg.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The #DFG funded TIDE RTG invites applications for up to 13 #PhDPositions starting in April 2027 across the @unicologne.bsky.social, @unibonn.bsky.social, and @uni-wuppertal.bsky.social. Learn more and apply: tide.uni-koeln.de/open-positions jobportal.uni-koeln.de/bewerben/2616 #PhD #Hiring #jobs

A new, flexible microlaser can measure tiny forces within a living cell. “The applications we see are related to force measurements in clinically relevant cell models, primarily in stem cell‒derived heart organoids,” Marcel Schubert, @unicologne.bsky.social https://bit.ly/4dqQXUJ 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Optical sensing of biological #forces with #microlasers, now published in @opg.optica.org. Data from Melisa's master thesis, with additional cell data measured by David. So great to have a solid+soft material as alternative to oil droplet microlasers. doi.org/10.1364/OME.... (open access)

Still time to register for Malte's discussion with the Optica editors on #biophotonics, #microlasers and organic #electronics (this week Friday).

Optica Publishing Group@opg.optica.org · 5mo ago

🚨 Have you registered for Friday's Light Conversations webinar yet? #OPG_Optica author Malte Gather will discuss his work in organic electronics and biophotonics, challenges in the field, new developments, and much more. Register here: https://bit.ly/4bf4eyL

Finally deactivated that dormant account on the #X hellscape #RIP #Twitter. Surprised and sad to see so many academics still posting there, you can do better!

a twitter logo with the letter x underneath

Alt: The twitter bird logo crushing on the logo of x underneath

media.tenor.com

THREAD The first full year of tracking research on @bsky.app Hi, we are Altmetric, and we track how research is communicated across the web. We now have one full calendar year of Bluesky research data and thought we'd have a looksie.

Very happy to finalize a few projects after a busy year, starting with a pre-print of Melisa's work on #flexible #microlasers made from #elastomers! A great material to prepare soft microlasers to measure biological #forces. #biophotonics #biosensing arxiv.org/abs/2512.22707

Really important new paper on how AI can be used to fake nanoparticle images #chemsky #science #nanotech www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The rising danger of AI-generated images in nanomaterials science and what we can do about it - Nature Nanotechnology

Generative AI has made it trivial to generate fake microscopy images that are indistinguishable from real images, even for experts. As researchers in nanoscience, it is time for us to face this reality and discuss strategies to conserve the integrity of our discipline.

nature.com

Is anyone still reading review papers these days? For those who do, check out our #review (open access) on #biointegrated #microlasers, now published in @optica.org. doi.org/10.1364/OPTI...

If you're an expert in organic molecules, thin film fabrication and/or optics and are looking to bring cutting-edge technology to the market - Please apply and join our team at the Humboldt Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics! jobportal.uni-koeln.de/bewerben/2186

Grateful to have been included in a Feature in ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ focussing on "fake spotters", available online today. This gives an overview of our work to tackle counterfeit spirits using laser spectroscopy, which we hope to see in use very soon! observer.co.uk/style/featur...

The real deal: our fascination with fakes – and how to sp...

With talented counterfeiters at the top of their game, how on earth do you spot a fake? And does it really matter anyway?

observer.co.uk

Very happy to contribute to #BIOspektrum! My short (3 pages) take on the applications and potential of #microlasers for #biosensing and #singlecell tracking. Open access👉 rdcu.be/elhkx (in German) Thanks @gbmev.bsky.social, @gesvirologie.bsky.social and @riemerlab.bsky.social 😉 for the invitation!

🧬🔬New paper online: Nucleic acid sensing using DNA-functionalized whispering gallery mode microlasers! Great collaboration with @thegatherlab.bsky.social @sorayacaixeiro @schubertlab.bsky.social @chemunicologne.bsky.social 🧪 #DNASensing #microlasers pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

DNA Sensing with Whispering Gallery Mode Microlasers

Nucleic acid sensing is crucial for advancing diagnostics, therapeutic monitoring, and molecular biology research by enabling the precise identification of DNA and RNA interactions. Here, we present an innovative sensing platform based on DNA-functionalized whispering gallery mode (WGM) microlasers. By correlating spectral shifts in laser emission to changes in the refractive index, we demonstrate real-time detection of DNA hybridization and structural changes. The addition of gold nanoparticles to the DNA strands significantly enhances sensitivity, and exclusively labeling the sensing strand or a hairpin strand eliminates the need for secondary labeling of the target strand. We further show that ionic strength influences DNA compactness, and we introduce a hairpin-based system as a dual-purpose sensor and controlled release mechanism for drug delivery. This versatile WGM-based platform offers promise for sequence-specific nucleic acid sensing, multiplexed detection, and in vivo applications in diagnostics and cellular research.

pubs.acs.org

New paper online: Half-wave nanolasers and intracellular plasmonic lasing particles. A metal–semiconductor as small as 170 nm in diameter emits lasing light from the lowest-order plasmonic mode across a broad spectral range in the infrared. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Nanotechnology

Half-wave nanolasers and intracellular plasmonic lasing particles - Nature Nanotechnology

A metal–semiconductor structure as small as 170 nm in diameter emits lasing light from the lowest-order plasmonic mode across a broad spectral range in the infrared.

nature.com

Schlieren textures and topography make organic polariton lasers better! To the point where lasing is achieved with simple metallic mirrors for the first time. Great work by Florian Le Roux, @andreasphysics.bsky.social and Francisco Tenopala Carmona. Check out our Nature Comms paper rdcu.be/d6GXz

Schlieren texture and topography induced confinement in an organic exciton-polariton laser

Nature Communications - Organic exciton-polaritons represent an attractive platform for quantum devices. Here, authors show how introducing Schlieren texturing and a rough intra-cavity topography...

rdcu.be

Glad that our latest paper has generated interest and has been selected to be featured on Nature Protocol's website. @natureportfolio.bsky.social @uarizona.bsky.social @spie.org @optica.bsky.social

JOB ALERT! 2 open PHD positions @kathlab.bsky.social in the framework of the MSCA doctoral network MeChaNiSM! Searching for organic chemists dedicated to nucleic acid chemistry.🧬⚗️🎉 More info: www.kathlab.uni-koeln.de #organicchemistry #nucleicacids

Exceptionally well produced video about the mechanics of the developing crocodile head scales. Outstanding #microscopy data backed up by detailed simulations! Very inspiring.

Rory Cooper@rorylcooper.bsky.social · 2y ago

Watch our video to learn how compressive forces sculpt the intricate head scales of crocodiles! 🎥🐊 🧪 youtu.be/vuvUrAJTg2U?... And read the full @natureportfolio.bsky.social article here ⬇️ nature.com/articles/s41... @genevunige.bsky.social

#Polaritons enable high performance angle-independent optical filters. Immensely enjoyed this collaboration between @thegatherlab.bsky.social, the Vandewal group at UHasselt and University of St Andrews rdcu.be/d2hUo

Breaking the angular dispersion limit in thin film optics by ultra-strong light-matter coupling

Nature Communications - Thin film interference is integral to modern photonics; however, it inevitably leads to an undesired change of spectral characteristics with angle. Here, the authors...

rdcu.be

TheGatherLab@thegatherlab.bsky.social · 2y ago

📢Just published: Breaking the angular dispersion limit in thin-film optics by ultra-strong light-matter coupling rdcu.be/d2hUo. This may be our most impactful work so far, challenging a fundamental limit that has constrained optical design in the past. @andreasphysics.bsky.social

Excited to be among the recipients of the 2024/25 Zia Fellowship! In today’s newspaper @zeit.de you can read more about the fellows and our science - or check out zeitfuerx.de/forschung/zia/ 👩🏼‍🔬💡

Good time for a re-post of Vera's @veratitze.bsky.social paper on integrating an ultrafast spectrometer (100k spectra per second!) into custom-built and commercial confocal microscopes. Plus demonstration of our intracellular #microlasers for single cell #tracking and #sensing.

Vera Marie Titze@veratitze.bsky.social · 3y ago

Check out our protocol on integrating microscopic lasers into living cells and recording lasing spectra through hyperspectral confocal imaging! We provide open methods for applications like intracellular sensing and cell tracking 🧪💡 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I'm trying to find all the cool people sharing microscopy here. Help me 🤓🔬 go.bsky.app/Aaf8sKT

"Deformable microlaser force sensing" now published in Light: Science & Applications! We show that #droplet #microlasers can measure absolute mechanical #forces inside cells, tumour spheroids, and in vivo! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Deformable microlaser force sensing - Light: Science & Applications

Characterising forces deep inside biological tissue is a challenging task. Here, we demonstrate that deformable biointegrated microlasers can sense nanoscopic forces with unprecedented spatio-temporal...

nature.com

Hello bluesky! Now posting news from our lab, cool science from all over the world, and the occasional job offer on this platform. Long may it last. #microlaser #photonics #nanooptics #sensors #science schubert-lab.uni-koeln.de