Raman optical activity: an incisive new probe of the structure and dynamics of biomolecules

Determination of the solution structure and function of biomolecules such as proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids remains at the forefront of biomedical research. Thanks to recent developments in instrumentation, biomolecules can now be studied using Raman optical activity (ROA), a novel technique which measures vibrational optical activity in chiral molecules by means of a small difference in the intensity of Raman scattering in right- and left-circularly polarized incident laser light. This article reviews recent progress in the application of ROA to the determination of the solution structure and dynamics of proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.