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Micro Magnetic Tweezers for Nanomanipulation Inside Live Cells

Anthony H. B. de Vries ^*, Bea E. Krenn , Roel van Driel  and Johannes S. Kanger ^*

^* Biophysical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute for Biomedical Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands; and Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 SM Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Johannes S. Kanger, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. Tel.: 31-053-489-3726; E-mail: j.s.kanger{at}tnw.utwente.nl.

This study reports the design, realization, and characterization of a multi-pole magnetic tweezers that enables us to maneuver small magnetic probes inside living cells. So far, magnetic tweezers can be divided into two categories: I), tweezers that allow the exertion of high forces but consist of only one or two poles and therefore are capable of only exerting forces in one direction; and II), tweezers that consist of multiple poles and allow exertion of forces in multiple directions but at very low forces. The magnetic tweezers described here combines both aspects in a single apparatus: high forces in a controllable direction. To this end, micron scale magnetic structures are fabricated using cleanroom technologies. With these tweezers, magnetic flux gradients of B = 8 x 10³ T m^–1 can be achieved over the dimensions of a single cell. This allows exertion of forces up to 12 pN on paramagnetic probes with a diameter of 350 nm, enabling us to maneuver them through the cytoplasm of a living cell. It is expected that with the current tweezers, picoNewton forces can be exerted on beads as small as 100 nm.

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