Biological Physics - Science or Gimmickry?

“Biological Physics” can have different meanings in different contexts. It can be the use and investigation of biological systems to further advance our understanding of physical principles. Helmholtz, for example, discovered the principle of conservation of energy while studying muscle metabolism. It can also be the study of biology systems within a physical framework, or using physical methods and approaches. The use of X-ray techniques to determine the structure of DNA – which provided the first insight into the nature of the genetic code - is an obvious example. In this talk I will first provide a historical overview of the application of physics to biology, as well as the application of biology of physics. I will then present some of our recent studies of protein aggregation, touching on the role of aggregates in disease as well as their potential use as nanoscale self-assemblers.