Search
Menu
Gentec Electro-Optics Inc   - Measure With Gentec Accuracy LB

Nano-optical Tweezers Make Single-Molecule Protein Study Easier

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Laser tweezers could eventually replace fluorescence imaging in applications such as studying heterogeneity in virus populations and nanoparticle manipulation. A nano-optical tweezer, developed at the University of Victoria, facilitates the capture and analysis of individual proteins. It also enables single-protein interactions with small-molecule drugs and DNA. It builds on existing optical tweezer techniques, which use a single-beam laser directed through an objective lens to trap and manipulate micron-sized particles and image them in 3-D. The double nanohole optical tweezer...Read full article

Related content from Photonics Media



    Articles


    Products


    Photonics Handbook Articles


    White Papers


    Webinars


    Photonics Dictionary Terms


    Media


    Photonics Buyers' Guide Categories


    Companies
    Published: May 2014
    Glossary
    fluorescence
    Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, fluorescence involves the absorption of light at one wavelength and the subsequent re-emission of light at a longer wavelength. The emitted light occurs almost instantaneously and ceases when the excitation light source is removed. Key characteristics of fluorescence include: Excitation and emission wavelengths: Fluorescent materials...
    nano
    An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
    nanoparticle
    A small object that behaves as a whole unit or entity in terms of it's transport and it's properties, as opposed to an individual molecule which on it's own is not considered a nanoparticle.. Nanoparticles range between 100 and 2500 nanometers in diameter.
    optical tweezers
    Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic objects, such as particles or biological cells, in three dimensions. This technique relies on the momentum transfer of photons from the laser beam to the trapped objects, creating a stable trapping potential. Optical tweezers are widely used in physics, biology, and nanotechnology for studying and manipulating tiny structures at the microscale and nanoscale levels. Key...
    AmericasBiophotonicsBioScanCanadaDNAfluorescencelensesMicroscopymoleculenanonanoparticleOptical trappingoptical tweezersOpticsResearch & Technologysingle proteintethersUniversity of Victorianano-optical tweezerdielectrostrictionLasers

    We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.