Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles
13:39

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles

Published on: January 15, 2013

Electrokinetic trapping at the one nanometer limit.

Alexander P Fields1, Adam E Cohen

  • 1Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 13, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a quantum-noise-limited trap to capture single molecules, significantly reducing the mass limit for trapped objects. This breakthrough allows studying small, fluorescently labeled molecules and their interactions in solution.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Voltage dynamics of cortical dendrites in vivo.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

Correction to "Optical Single-Channel Recording via Diffusional Confinement in Membrane Tethers".

ACS nano·2026
Same author

A dendrite-resolved, <i>in vivo</i> transfer function from spike patterns to dendritic Ca<sup>2</sup>.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Ether lipids influence cancer cell fate by modulating iron uptake.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Fast dendritic excitations primarily mediate back-propagation in CA1 pyramidal neurons during behavior.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Swimming motions evoke Piezo1-dependent Ca<sup>2+</sup> events in vascular endothelial cells of larval zebrafish.

Current biology : CB·2025

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Single-molecule dynamics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Anti-Brownian electrokinetic traps successfully studied large molecules like proteins and DNA.
  • Small molecules (<1 kDa) were previously too mobile to be trapped in solution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the ultimate limits of trapping single molecules.
  • To develop a feedback-based trap capable of compensating for thermal noise.
  • To enable the study of small, soluble molecules and their interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a feedback-based anti-Brownian electrokinetic trap.
  • Compensated classical thermal noise to the limit of quantum measurement noise.
  • Trapped single fluorophores (<1 kDa, 6.7 Å hydrodynamic radius) in aqueous buffer at room temperature.

More Related Videos

A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles
10:13

A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles

Published on: January 21, 2011

Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment
09:13

Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment

Published on: April 4, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles
13:39

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles

Published on: January 15, 2013

A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles
10:13

A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles

Published on: January 21, 2011

Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment
09:13

Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment

Published on: April 4, 2017

Main Results:

  • Achieved trapping of single fluorophores for over one second.
  • Reduced the mass limit for trapped objects by 800-fold.
  • Demonstrated simultaneous measurement of diffusion coefficient, electrophoretic mobility, and brightness.
  • Observed changes in DNA dynamics upon RecA binding.

Conclusions:

  • The developed trap significantly extends the size range of molecules for room temperature feedback trapping.
  • This technology enables the study of any fluorescently labelable soluble molecule.
  • Opens new avenues for studying protein-DNA interactions in free solution at the single-molecule level.