T.A. (Thomas) Schlathölter, Dr

Senior Lecturer/ Associate Professor

University College Groningen

Telephone:

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Telephone:

+31 50 36 35099

E-mail:

t.a.schlatholter rug.nl

Homepage ORCID Research Portal

Biomolecular mechanisms underlying radiotherapy

The concept of radiotherapy for tumor control is based on the idea of killing cancerous cells by means of ionizing radiation, while at the same time sparing healthy surrounding tissues. The required spatial dose control is for instance realized by superimposing several radiation fields. Alternatively, the superior dose depth distribution of fast ions as compared to energetic photons can be employed. We investigate the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying radiotherapy, using nanoscale systems such as oligonucleotides, plasmid DNA and DNA origami. Irradiation is performed at large scale facilities such as synchrotrons and accelerators. Experimental techniques range from mass spectrometry and soft X-ray spectroscopy to atomic force microscopy. Most recently, emphasis is laid on the study of nanoparticles as radiosensitizing agents in tumor therapy.

Further reading:

Improving proton therapy by metal-containing nanoparticles: nanoscale insights, Thomas Schlathölter, Pierre Eustache, Erika Porcel, Daniela Salado, Lenka Stefancikova, Olivier Tillement, Francois Lux, Pierre Mowat, Aleksandra K Biegun, Marc-Jan van Goethem, Hynd Remita, Sandrine Lacombe, International Journal of Nanomedicine 11 (2016) 1549

Energetic interactions with gas-phase biomolecular systems

Conformational and electronic dynamics of proteins are at the very basis of most dynamic processes in living cells. We investigate such processes in the gas phase by means of interactions with energetic photons from high brilliance light sources. Gas-phase studies allow the most fundamental view into biomolecular systems, as molecular properties are not influenced by intermolecular interactions such as ultrafast energy transfer or the inevitable radiation damage. Experimentally, we employ techniques such as mass spectrometry and soft X-ray spectroscopy to investigate molecular structure as well as electronic and structural dynamics of peptides and proteins.

Further reading:

Radiation-Induced Molecular Processes in DNA: A Perspective on Gas-Phase Interaction Studies, Thomas Schlathölter and Jean-Christophe Poully, Chemistry - A European Journal (2024)

Multiple Ionization of Free Ubiquitin Molecular Ions in Extreme Ultraviolet Free-Electron Laser Pulses, Thomas Schlathölter, Geert Reitsma, Dmitrii Egorov, Olmo Gonzalez-Magana, Sadia Bari, Leon Boschman, Erwin Bodewits, Kirsten Schnorr, Georg Schmid, Claus Dieter Schröter, Robert Moshammer, and Ronnie Hoekstra, Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 55 (2016) 10741

Dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in astrophysical environments

While PAHs have been recognized to be important catalysts for the formation of simple molecules in space , knowledge on the reaction rates and barriers is crucial to assess the role of PAHs in the composition of our molecular Universe. For instance, H2 formation on PAHs instead of dust grain surfaces is a potentially very relevant pathway. We study attachment and abstraction reactions of H and D to PAHs experimentally. The response of selected reactions products upon energetic photons and ions is investigated using our in-house keV ion beamline as well as using photon beams from synchrotron and free electron laser facilities. The heart of these studies is a home-built apparatus combining a radiofrequency ion trap based mass spectrometer with a thermal atomic H source