Sensocell Optical Tweezers
Sensocell Optical Tweezers
Sensocell Optical Tweezers

SENSOCELL | Optical Tweezers for Mechanobiology

Modality

Brightfield, DIC, widefield, confocal, TIRF, ...

Configuration

Complete system / Add-on

Force sensor method

Momentum forward-scattering

Number of traps

Up to 256

Steering technology

AOD

Steering frequency

100 kHz

SENSOCELL Optical Tweezer for Mechanobiology by Impetux

Impetux is a worldwide key supplier of turnkey optical tweezers systems designed for mechanobiology studies in living cells and 3D tissues. The field of mechanobiology holds immense promise, poised to significantly influence various research fields including cancer, morphogenesis, immunology, and regenerative medicine. With its cutting-edge optical tweezers platform, SENSOCELL™, Impetux offers researchers unparalleled capabilities for optical trapping, empowering them to explore innovative avenues in their research. SENSOCELL allows researchers to:

  • Perform multiple optical trapping experiments with simultaneous force measurements and active/passive micro-rheology tests inside living cells or 3D tissues.
  • Manipulate individual cells or cell organelles like nuclei, membranes or other native structures while tracking the forces involved in a non-invasive way.

Impetux’s patented technology not only allows the measurement of rheological properties and forces in areas others cannot but also delivers unparalleled user-friendliness of optical tweezers for studying cell mechanics.

SENSOCELL™ is an optical tweezer add-on instrument for Nikon inverted microscopes. It can be either installed on a pre-existing microscope or offered in an integrated platform including a new Nikon Ti-2 inverted microscope. The optical tweezers platform is composed by:

  • An optical manipulation module that allows optical trapping and manipulation of multiple microscopic samples.
  • A force sensor module allowing simultaneous & direct measurement of the exerted optical trapping forces.
  • A rack mount case with all electronics and a single-frequency laser source (5W, 1064 nm).

SENSOCELL™  also comes with LightAce, a powerful, flexible and user-friendly control software suite featuring:

  • Extensive control over multiple simultaneous traps.
  • Force & position real time data analysis for multiple traps.
  • Predefined and customizable automated routines for cell mechanobiology applications.
  • The possibility of creating your own routines using a simple and flexible macro language.

Versatile and flexible optical manipulation of biological samples

SENSOCELL is a compact and robust module conceived as a satellite instrument for Nikon inverted optical microscopes. Enclosed into a high-quality aluminum box and assembled onto the microscope body, its design minimizes the impact of any instabilities of the optical table and assures the maximum mechanical stability of the system and lowest drift.

  • Generation and manipulation of multiple simultaneous traps (up to 256 traps).
  • Optimized optical design for an excellent trapping efficiency.
  • Based on acousto-optic deflection technology.
  • Ultra-stable low noise infrared laser for biological compatibility included (1064 nm, 5W power and <0.3% long term power fluctuations).
  • Compatible with different imaging techniques including BrightField, epi-FL, DIC, TIRF or Confocal microscopy

To visit the manufacturer’s website, click HERE.

SENSOCELL Optical Tweezer for Mechanobiology by Impetux

Impetux is a worldwide key supplier of turnkey optical tweezers systems designed for mechanobiology studies in living cells and 3D tissues. The field of mechanobiology holds immense promise, poised to significantly influence various research fields including cancer, morphogenesis, immunology, and regenerative medicine. With its cutting-edge optical tweezers platform, SENSOCELL, Impetux offers researchers unparalleled capabilities for optical trapping, empowering them to explore innovative avenues in their research. SENSOCELL allows researchers to:

  • Perform multiple optical trapping experiments with simultaneous force measurements and active/passive micro-rheology tests inside living cells or 3D tissues.
  • Manipulate individual cells or cell organelles like nuclei, membranes or other native structures while tracking the forces involved in a non-invasive way.

Impetux’s patented technology not only allows the measurement of rheological properties and forces in areas others cannot but also delivers unparalleled user-friendliness of optical tweezers for studying cell mechanics.

SENSOCELL is an optical tweezer add-on instrument for Nikon inverted microscopes. It can be either installed on a pre-existing microscope or offered in an integrated platform including a new Nikon Ti-2 inverted microscope. The optical tweezers platform is composed by:

  • An optical manipulation module that allows optical trapping and manipulation of multiple microscopic samples.
  • A force sensor module allowing simultaneous & direct measurement of the exerted optical trapping forces.
  • A rack mount case with all electronics and a single-frequency laser source (5W, 1064 nm).

SENSOCELL also comes with LightAce, a powerful, flexible and user-friendly control software suite featuring:

  • Extensive control over multiple simultaneous traps.
  • Force & position real time data analysis for multiple traps.
  • Predefined and customizable automated routines for cell mechanobiology applications.
  • The possibility of creating your own routines using a simple and flexible macro language.

Versatile and flexible optical manipulation of biological samples

SENSOCELL is a compact and robust module conceived as a satellite instrument for Nikon inverted optical microscopes. Enclosed into a high-quality aluminum box and assembled onto the microscope body, its design minimizes the impact of any instabilities of the optical table and assures the maximum mechanical stability of the system and lowest drift.

  • Generation and manipulation of multiple simultaneous traps (up to 256 traps).
  • Optimized optical design for an excellent trapping efficiency.
  • Based on acousto-optic deflection technology.
  • Ultra-stable low noise infrared laser for biological compatibility included (1064 nm, 5W power and <0.3% long term power fluctuations).
  • Compatible with different imaging techniques including BrightField, epi-FL, DIC, TIRF or Confocal microscopy

To visit the manufacturer’s website, click HERE.

SENSOCELL Brochure

Optical Manipulation Module Technical specifications

  • 2D fast trap steering (up to 25 kHz).
  • Accurate positioning of the individual traps with sub-nanometer precision.
  • Working field: typically 80 μm x 80 μm for a 60X objective magnification).
  • Maximum typical trapping forces of 100-500 pN.
  • Laser power at sample as high as >0.5 W.
  • Dimensions of the optical unit (L x H x W): 360 x 250 x 90 mm.
  • Adaptable to Nikon inverted microscopes (TE-2000, Ti and Ti2-Eclipse series). Check with us for compatibility with other microscope manufacturers and models.

Optical Tweezers Force Measurement Technology

  • Force resolution <50 fN.
  • Accuracy: typ. <5%.
  • 3D force measurements: module for z-force component available on demand.
  • Accurate determination of sample position (typ. resolution: 1 nm).
  • Measures laser power at the sample and ambient temperature.
  • Easy installation and operation.

SENSOCELL Optical Tweezer Applications

Tether Pulling

Study cell membrane mechanics in cells and explants performing tether pulling experiments. Use our customizable routines or create your own tether pulling routines.

Immune Cells Interactions

Manipulate whole cells to engage cell-cell interactions and measure their binding forces while having absolute control on cells orientation and contact time. Use functionalized beads and/or substrates to measure in vitro receptor-ligand binding forces.

Active Micro-Rheology

Perform active & passive micro-rheology experiments in viscoelastic media like cell’s cytoplasm, hydrogels or biofilms.

Cell & Nucleus Deformation

Study cell membrane and cell nucleus mechanotransduction pathways by stretching the cell as a whole or manipulating the cell nucleus.

Cell-ECM Interactions

Study the dynamics and forces of transmembrane mechanoreceptors in cell-ECM interactions at the single-molecule level.

In Vivo Motor Proteins Activity

​Study the activity and kinetics of motor proteins in vitro and in vivo. Measure stall forces of protein motors and observe tug-of-war and cooperating phenomena.

Scientific literature where SENSOCELL Optical Tweezers is mentioned

Discover LightAce, powerful, flexible and user-friendly control software suite for SENSOCELL™ optical tweezers.

​LightAce is the control software suite for SENSOCELL™  based on the integration of LABVIEW (National Instruments), ImageJ and μ-Manager. Easy and intuitive to work with, LightAce is easy and intuitive to work with, allowing you to:

  • Take control over multiple optical traps and read real time force & position data for each trapped target.; apply force clamping or launch built-in routines. Simply selecting the different options on the interface menu, LightAce offers you an incredible set of trapping, manipulation & measurement capabilities!
  • Customize predefined routines for your specific experiments choosing the setting parameter values for each menu option.
  • Use our predefined and customizable automated routines for cell mechanobiology or create your own routines using our simple and flexible LightAce Software Development Kit (SDK) completed by a variety of examples.

Best efforts have been dedicated to create a user-friendly GUI. After a short training course given, non-experts users can start working immediately and plan experiments from the very beginning.

Watch the tutorials for the LightAce Software Below:

LightAce software suite Introduction

Optical trap oscillations with LightAce

Optical trap trajectories with LightAce

Force Measurements with SENSOCELL optical tweezers.

Create your own custom routines with LightAce SDK

Combining Manipulation Modes

How to create your own routines using LightAce SDK.

1. Choose among the manipulation & measurements .vi functions included in the LightAce SDK library:

Lightace software for sensocell optical tweezers

2. Customize your selected .vi functions by setting their input parameters values:

Lightace software for sensocell optical tweezers

3. Combine them to create your routines controlling all features of SENSOCELL™ :

Lightace software for sensocell optical tweezers

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