A Rotorua scientist has been announced the recipient of a prestigious $300,000 grant.
Dr Katherine Challis, who works at Scion Research, has been awarded a Marsden Fund fast-start grant to study how cells generate energy which may lead to nano-scale molecular motors.
Humans, like cars, are made up of moving parts but our driving force lies in the nano-motors that operate within our cells to produce energy.
Dr Challis has teamed up with Dr Michael Jack from the University of Otago to find out how nano-motors work.
Recent advances in experimental techniques mean it is now possible to study these nano-motors, the biomolecules that convert energy. Theoretical physics can help understand what these experiments are showing, explaining how the biomolecules operate in terms of the fundamental physical principles of biological energy conversion.
Understanding the principles of nano-motor operation will ultimately lead to the design of new custom molecular machines to convert chemical energy, as efficiently as possible, to work.