Dr. Rosalie Driessen, PhD, Application Scientist at LUMICKS, the Netherlands

Correlative optical Tweezers-Fluorescence Microscopy (CTFM) as a versatile tool for single-molecule studies

The combination of optical tweezers with confocal fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics is a promising approach to investigate biological systems because of its unique ability to simultaneously manipulate, sense and visualize individual DNA molecules with exquisite sensitivity and resolution¹. Here we present our efforts in validating this technology by developing a commercial-grade instrument, “Correlative optical Tweezers-Fluorescence Microscope” (CTFM), that allows turn-key operation with ease of operation, without compromising performance. Using this instrument, we carry out a series of demonstration experiments, exploring applications of CTFM in the fields of chromatin structure and function, DNA-repair and replication and protein folding dynamics. These experiments show that the technological advances in hybrid single-molecule methods can be turned into an easy to use and stable instrument that has the ability to open up new venues in many research areas.

1. Heller et al. STED nanoscopy combined with optical tweezers reveals protein dynamics on densely covered DNA, Nature Methods, 2013

Host: Associate professor Victoria Birkedal, iNANO & Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University