On page 6050, J. J. de Pablo and co-workers demonstrate detection of Nanomolar concentrations of peptides by polarized light microscopy. Liquid crystals exhibit a specific response to beta-sheet structures. The unstructured peptides involved in various diseases form beta-sheet rich amyloid fibrils at lipid-decorated liquid crystal interfaces, thereby altering the orientation of the underlying liquid crystal and yielding characteristic optical signatures that are interpreted in terms of detailed molecular models.
