Magnetic tweezers unravel cellular mechanics

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Scheme of the micromechanical experiments. Magnetic poles (6 m wide 20 m separation) generate a force on a paramagnetic bead positioned in the nucleus of a HeLa cell. Electric coils allow the control of amplitude and direction of the force. Magnetic ...
Scheme of the micromechanical experiments. Magnetic poles (6 µm wide, 20 µm separation) generate a force on a paramagnetic bead positioned in the nucleus of a HeLa cell. Electric coils allow the control of amplitude and direction of the force. Magnetic yoke and electric coils are not to scale. Credit: University of Twente

By injecting tiny magnetic beads into a living cell and manipulating them with a magnetic ‘tweezer’, scientists of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, succeed in getting to know more about the mechanics of the cell nucleus.


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