Nanoscale tweezers for single-cell biopsies

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Multicellular system functionality relies on spatial organization and dynamic cellular behaviors.
• Existing single-cell genomic methods offer only a static transcriptional snapshot.
• Real-time analysis and perturbation of living cells are needed for a significant advancement in single-cell analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel minimally invasive nanotweezers technology for single-cell analysis.
• To demonstrate the capability of nanotweezers for precise molecular and organelle manipulation within living cells.
• To enable real-time gene expression analysis and organelle studies in living cells.

Main Methods:

• Development of nanotweezers with 10-20 nm electrode gaps for dielectrophoretic trapping.
• Spatially controlled extraction of DNA and proteins from living cells.
• Extraction of nucleic acids for gene expression analysis and single mitochondria.
• Assessment of cell viability post-manipulation.

Main Results:

• Successful trapping and extraction of single DNA molecules and proteins.
• Extraction of nucleic acids from living cells for gene expression analysis without affecting viability.
• Demonstration of single mitochondrion trapping and extraction.
• Validation of the nanotweezers' precision and minimally invasive nature.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanotweezers enable precise, real-time manipulation and sampling of cellular components.
• This technology bridges single-molecule/organelle manipulation with cell biology, enhancing understanding of living cells.
• The nanotweezers offer a powerful new tool for advancing single-cell analysis and perturbation studies.