Combining Holographic Optical Tweezers with Microfluidics

I´m doing biophysical research to investigate mechanical properties of proteins. 

Microfluidic techniques are combined with a holographic optical tweezers setup capable of fluorescence and high speed imaging. Biomimetic structures are produced and mechanically investigated in this experiment. We construct two dimensional networks of actin filaments between multiple trapped particles and measure the mechanical influences of cross-linkers like actinin, fimbrin and filamin on this actin cortex modell system.  (www.pci.uni-heidelberg.de/bpc/biophysik.html)

In a second experiment we want to observe physical properties of malaria sporocoites with the tweezers setup.

This project is done in close cooperation with Rainer Kurre. Also Involved in the "Actin-Project" is Simon Schulz

This is an animation of our experiments creating two-dimensional actin networks in a microfluidic environment.

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