Single-molecule manipulation for the masses

Single-molecule manipulation for the masses: "Scientists have developed a new massively-parallel approach for manipulating single DNA and protein molecules and studying their interactions under force. The finding appears in the June 2 issue of Biophysical Journal.

The team of researchers from the Rowland Institute at Harvard University claim that their technique, which they call 'single molecule centrifugation', offers dramatic improvements in throughput and cost compared with more established techniques.

'By combining a microscope and a centrifuge, forces can be applied to many molecules at once while simultaneously observing their nano-to-microscale motions,' explains author Wesley P. Wong, a Principal Investigator at Rowland.

Recent technologies such as optical and magnetic tweezers and the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) have enabled the mechanical manipulation of single molecules, leading to new insights in biological systems ranging from DNA replication to blood clotting."