Optical Tweezer Technology

The optical tweezer, with the ability to apply force and deformation on a micro scaled object on the order of piconewton (pN, 10~12 N) and nanometer (nm, 10~9 m), is utilized in this study to manipulate primitive myeloblasts from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients for biomechanical properties characterization. Mcrobeads are attached to cell surfaces serving as handles. Cells are stretched by moving the beads with optical traps and progressively increasing the distance between them. Through force calibration and image processing, the relationship between stretching force and induced cell deformation can be established, from which the biomechanical properties of AML myeloblasts are characterized based on a computational model. The findings in this study will provide insights into the cell mechanics of primitive AML hematopoietic cells.