A new platform for manipulating a single DNA molecule by using opticallay-induced dielectrophoresis

This paper presents a new platform capable of manipulating a single DNA molecule based on optically-induced dielectrophoretic (ODEP) forces. The ends of lambda-phage DNA were bound with polystyrene beads which can be manipulated by optical images generated by a digital projector. The manipulation process of fluorescent-labeled DNA was observed in real time under the ODEP operation. Two kinds of DNA manipulation were conducted including DNA stretching and revolving through the computer-controlled optical images. The stretching force was also measured to estimate the manipulation ability of DNA molecule in this platform. The maximum stretching force was estimated to be about 49.73 pN when binding with 10 mum polystyrene beads. The developed platform may be a promising tool for single DNA molecule investigation.