Optical Stretcher
Cat#:Optical Stretcher
Price:Please call：86-10-67529703
Brand:rszelltechnik

Optical Stretcher user



Innovation in Research
The Optical Stretcher is a novel laser tool to measure and analyse biomechanical properties, such as elasticity and relaxation, of single biological cells in suspension.
Contact-free cell deformation
Suspended cells are deformed by optical forces in a microfluidic system, leading to absolutely contact-free measurements. This ensures homogeneous cell handling and avoids artefacts due to contact-induced cellular reactions.
High-throughput single cell rheology
By integration of a microfluidic system about 300 cells/hour can be measured with ease. This allows for the first time to collect significant statistical data from cell rheology.
Timesaving, automated measurements
Cells are automatically delivered to the measurement region and deformed corresponding to the user-defined stretch pattern. While the Optical Stretcher runs the experiment you can focus on interpreting results.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
included microfluidic system with two pressure controlled channels
Ytterbium fiber laser with max. power of 2 W per fiber
Installation on inverted phase contrast microscope
Housing for laser safety and temperature controlled condition
Optional combination with fluorescence microscopy
SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS
Control of all setup components and automated cell measurement by CellStretcher module
Extraction of deformation data from recorded microscopic images by the CellEvaluator
Statistical analysis and visualization of the characteristic parameters by the CellReporter
Access to raw data for your own statistical ananlysis

The optical stretcher is a novel laser tool to micromanipulate single biological cells and to probe their viscoelastic properties in suspension [1].

 

Video Player

 

A cell is trapped by two opposing laser beams, which hold it and pull on both sides of it. Higher laser powers are used to deform the cell. The cell deformations are recorded by a CCD camera and evaluated by a custom designed software. The measurement chamber of the Optical Stretcher is integrated into a microfluidic system, such that cells can be easily delivered one after the other. High throughput rates of about 250 cells per hour can be achieved, allowing for better statistics compared to other tools such as atomic force microscopy (AFM).

 

3D Stretcher Skizze

Sketch of an Optical Stretcher Measurement Chamber

 

The forces to deform the cells originate from the laser light. When the light is refracted at the surfaces of the cells there is a change in momentum of the photons. Since overall momentum must always be conserved there is a momentum transfer to the cell surface in form of a force acting perpendicular to it.

Momentum transfer at the cell surface in a dual beam optical trap

Momentum transfer at the cell surface

 

Cell mechanics as a disease marker

The physical mechanics of cells are important for their regular, biological functioning and are regulated by a structure called the cytoskeleton. It is involved in many vital processes of the cell. If these are changes this naturally results also in changes of the biomechanical properties, which can be measured with the Optical Stretcher. There is already published data for cancer [2, 3] and for the effect of cell aging [4].
Several ongoing studies examine the ability of the Optical Stretcher to differentiate between the stages of a cancer tumor, making it a valuable tool for both scientific research and clinical diagnosis [5].

Cell types can be differentiated by their deformation in the optical stretcher

Cell types can be differentiated by their deformation in the optical stretcher

Publications
  1. Guck, J. et al. The Optical Stretcher: A Novel Laser Tool to Micromanipulate Cells. Biophysical Journal 81, 767–784 (2001).
  2. Guck, J. et al. Optical Deformability as an Inherent Cell Marker for Testing Malignant Transformation and Metastatic Competence. Biophysical Journal 88, 3689–3698 (2005).
  3. Fritsch, A. et al. Are biomechanical changes necessary for tumour progression? Nature Physics 6, 730–732 (2010).
  4. Schulze, C. et al. Stiffening of Human Skin Fibroblasts with Age. Biophysical Journal 99, 2434–2442 (2010).
  5. Remmerbach, T. et al. Oral Cancer Diagnosis by Mechanical Phenotyping. Cancer Research, Volume 69, Issue 5, 1728–1732 (2009).

 
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Publications

RS ZELLTECHNIK BROCHURES
The Optical Stretcher
OPTICAL STRETCHER TECHNOLOGY
Lincoln, B., Schinkinger, S., Travis, K., Wottawah, F., Ebert, S., Sauer, F., Guck, J., 2007. Reconfigurable microfluidic integration of a dual-beam laser trap with biomedical applications. Biomed. Microdevices 9, 703–710. doi:10.1007/s10544-007-9079-x
Ebert, S., Travis, K., Lincoln, B., Guck, J., 2007. Fluorescence ratio thermometry in a microfluidic dual-beam laser trap. Opt. Express 15, 15493–15499. doi:10.1364/OE.15.015493
Jensen-McMullin, C., Lee, H.P., Lyons, E.R.L., 2005. Demonstration of trapping, motion control, sensing and fluorescence detection of polystyrene beads in a multi-fiber optical trap. Opt. Express 13, 2634–2642. doi:10.1364/OPEX.13.002634
Wottawah, F., Schinkinger, S., Lincoln, B., Ananthakrishnan, R., Romeyke, M., Guck, J., Käs, J., 2005. Optical Rheology of Biological Cells. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 098103. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.098103
Lincoln, B., Erickson, H.M., Schinkinger, S., Wottawah, F., Mitchell, D., Ulvick, S., Bilby, C., Guck, J., 2004. Deformability-based flow cytometry.Cytometry A 59A, 203–209. doi:10.1002/cyto.a.20050
THEORETICAL MODELS
Ananthakrishnan, R., Guck, J., Wottawah, F., Schinkinger, S., Lincoln, B., Romeyke, M., Kas, J., 2005. Modelling the structural response of an eukaryotic cell in the optical stretcher. Curr. Sci. 88.
B. Bareil, P., Sheng, Y., Chiou, A., 2006. Local scattering stress distribution on surface of a spherical cell in optical stretcher. Opt. Express 14, 12503–12509. doi:10.1364/OE.14.012503 
Bareil, P.B., Sheng, Y., Chen, Y.-Q., Chiou, A., 2007. Calculation of spherical red blood cell deformation in a dual-beam optical stretcher. Opt. Express 15, 16029–16034. doi:10.1364/OE.15.016029 
Boyde, L., Ekpenyong, A., Whyte, G., Guck, J., 2012. Comparison of stresses on homogeneous spheroids in the optical stretcher computed with geometrical optics and generalized Lorenz–Mie theory. Appl. Opt. 51, 7934–7944. doi:10.1364/AO.51.007934
Ekpenyong, A.E., Posey, C.L., Chaput, J.L., Burkart, A.K., Marquardt, M.M., Smith, T.J., Nichols, M.G., 2009. Determination of cell elasticity through hybrid ray optics and continuum mechanics modeling of cell deformation in the optical stretcher. Appl. Opt. 48, 6344–6354. doi:10.1364/AO.48.006344
Teo, S.-K., Goryachev, A.B., Parker, K.H., Chiam, K.-H., 2010. Cellular deformation and intracellular stress propagation during optical stretching.Phys. Rev. E 81, 051924. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.81.051924
CANCER RESEARCH AND DIAGNOSTICS
Kastl, L., Budde, B., Isbach, M., Rommel, C., Kemper, B., Schnekenburger, J., 2015. Optomechanical properties of cancer cells revealed by light-induced deformation and quantitative phase microscopy. pp. 952908–952908–6. doi:10.1117/12.2184764
Martin, M., Müller, K., Cadenas, C., Hermes, M., Zink, M., Hengstler, J.G., Käs, J.A., 2012. ERBB2 overexpression triggers transient high mechanoactivity of breast tumor cells. Cytoskeleton 69, 267–277. doi:10.1002/cm.21023
Fritsch, A., Höckel, M., Kiessling, T., Nnetu, K.D., Wetzel, F., Zink, M., Käs, J.A., 2010. Are biomechanical changes necessary for tumour progression?Nat. Phys. 6, 730–732. doi:10.1038/nphys1800
Brunner, C., Niendorf, A., Käs, J.A., 2009. Passive and active single-cell biomechanics: a new perspective in cancer diagnosis. Soft Matter 5, 2171–2178. doi:10.1039/B807545J
Remmerbach, T.W., Wottawah, F., Dietrich, J., Lincoln, B., Wittekind, C., Guck, J., 2009. Oral Cancer Diagnosis by Mechanical Phenotyping. Cancer Res. 69, 1728–1732. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-4073
Martin, M., Mueller, K., Wottawah, F., Schinkinger, S., Lincoln, B., Romeyke, M., Käs, J.A., 2006. Feeling with light for cancer. p. 60800P–60800P–10. doi:10.1117/12.637899
Guck, J., Schinkinger, S., Lincoln, B., Wottawah, F., Ebert, S., Romeyke, M., Lenz, D., Erickson, H.M., Ananthakrishnan, R., Mitchell, D., Käs, J., Ulvick, S., Bilby, C., 2005. Optical Deformability as an Inherent Cell Marker for Testing Malignant Transformation and Metastatic Competence. Biophys. J. 88, 3689–3698. doi:10.1529/biophysj.104.045476 
STEM CELL RESEARCH
Ekpenyong, A.E., Whyte, G., Chalut, K., Pagliara, S., Lautenschlaeger, F., Fiddler, C., Paschke, S., Keyser, U.F., Chilvers, E.R., Guck, J., 2012.Viscoelastic Properties of Differentiating Blood Cells Are Fate- and Function-Dependent. Plos One 7, e45237. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045237
Galle, J., Bader, A., Hepp, P., Grill, W., Fuchs, B., Kas, J.A., Krinner, A., MarquaB, B., Muller, K., Schiller, J., Schulz, R.M., von Buttlar, M., von der Burg, E., Zscharnack, M., Loffler, M., 2010. Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cartilage Repair: State of the Art and Methods to monitor Cell Growth, Differentiation and Cartilage Regeneration. Curr. Med. Chem. 17, 2274–2291. doi:10.2174/092986710791331095
Maloney, J.M., Nikova, D., Lautenschlager, F., Clarke, E., Langer, R., Guck, J., Van Vliet, K.J., 2010. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Mechanics from the Attached to the Suspended State. Biophys. J. 99, 2479–2487. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2010.08.052
Lautenschläger, F., Paschke, S., Schinkinger, S., Bruel, A., Beil, M., Guck, J., 2009. The regulatory role of cell mechanics for migration of differentiating myeloid cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 106, 15696–15701 doi:10.1073/pnas.0811261106
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Man, S.M., Ekpenyong, A., Tourlomousis, P., Achouri, S., Cammarota, E., Hughes, K., Rizzo, A., Ng, G., Wright, J.A., Cicuta, P., Guck, J.R., Bryant, C.E., 2014. Actin polymerization as a key innate immune effector mechanism to control Salmonella infection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 201419925 doi:10.1073/pnas.1419925111
BASIC RESEARCH
Schmidt, B.U.S., Kießling, T.R., Warmt, E., Fritsch, A.W., Stange, R., Käs, J.A., 2015. Complex thermorheology of living cells. New J. Phys. 17, 073010. doi:10.1088/1367-2630/17/7/073010
Chan, C.J., Ekpenyong, A.E., Golfier, S., Li, W., Chalut, K.J., Otto, O., Elgeti, J., Guck, J., Lautenschläger, F., 2015. Myosin II Activity Softens Cells in Suspension. Biophys. J. 108, 1856–1869. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2015.03.009
Gladilin, E., Gonzalez, P., Eils, R., 2014. Dissecting the contribution of actin and vimentin intermediate filaments to mechanical phenotype of suspended cells using high-throughput deformability measurements and computational modeling. J. Biomech. 47, 2598–2605. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2014.05.020
Maloney, J.M., Vliet, K.J.V., 2014. Chemoenvironmental modulators of fluidity in the suspended biological cell. Soft Matter. doi:10.1039/C4SM00743C
Warmt, E., Kießling, T.R., Stange, R., Fritsch, A.W., Zink, M., Käs, J.A., 2014. Thermal instability of cell nuclei. New J. Phys. 16, 073009. doi:10.1088/1367-2630/16/7/073009
Gyger, M., Stange, R., Kiessling, T.R., Fritsch, A., Kostelnik, K.B., Beck-Sickinger, A.G., Zink, M., Kaes, J.A., 2014. Active contractions in single suspended epithelial cells. Eur. Biophys. J. Biophys. Lett. 43, 11–23. doi:10.1007/s00249-013-0935-8
Seltmann, K., Fritsch, A.W., Käs, J.A., Magin, T.M., 2013. Keratins significantly contribute to cell stiffness and impact invasive behavior. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 201310493. doi:10.1073/pnas.1310493110
Maloney, J.M., Lehnhardt, E., Long, A.F., Van Vliet, K.J., 2013. Mechanical fluidity of fully suspended biological cells. Biophys. J. 105, 1767–1777. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2013.08.040
Kießling, T.R., Stange, R., Käs, J.A., Fritsch, A.W., 2013. Thermorheology of living cells—impact of temperature variations on cell mechanics. New J. Phys. 15, 045026. doi:10.1088/1367-2630/15/4/045026
Kießling, T.R., Herrera, M., Nnetu, K.D., Balzer, E.M., Girvan, M., Fritsch, A.W., Martin, S.S., Käs, J.A., Losert, W., 2013. Analysis of multiple physical parameters for mechanical phenotyping of living cells. Eur. Biophys. J. 42, 383–394. doi:10.1007/s00249-013-0888-y
Paschke, S., Weidner, A.F., Paust, T., Marti, O., Beil, M., Ben-Chetrit, E., 2013. Technical advance: Inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis by colchicine is modulated through viscoelastic properties of subcellular compartments. J. Leukoc. Biol. 94, 1091–1096. doi:10.1189/jlb.1012510
Chalut, K.J., Höpfler, M., Lautenschläger, F., Boyde, L., Chan, C.J., Ekpenyong, A., Martinez-Arias, A., Guck, J., 2012. Chromatin decondensation and nuclear softening accompany Nanog downregulation in embryonic stem cells. Biophys. J. 103, 2060–2070. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2012.10.015
Matthews, H.K., Delabre, U., Rohn, J.L., Guck, J., Kunda, P., Baum, B., 2012. Changes in Ect2 localization couple actomyosin-dependent cell shape changes to mitotic progression. Dev. Cell 23, 371–383. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2012.06.003
Mauritz, J.M.A., Esposito, A., Tiffert, T., Skepper, J.N., Warley, A., Yoon, Y.-Z., Cicuta, P., Lew, V.L., Guck, J.R., Kaminski, C.F., 2010. Biophotonic techniques for the study of malaria-infected red blood cells. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 48, 1055–1063. doi:10.1007/s11517-010-0668-0
Rusciano, G., 2010. Experimental analysis of Hb oxy–deoxy transition in single optically stretched red blood cells. Phys. Med. 26, 233–239. doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2010.02.001
AGING PROCESSES
Schulze, C., Wetzel, F., Kueper, T., Malsen, A., Muhr, G., Jaspers, S., Blatt, T., Wittern, K.-P., Wenck, H., Käs, J.A., 2010. Stiffening of Human Skin Fibroblasts with Age. Biophys. J. 99, 2434–2442. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2010.08.026
VESICLES
Delabre, U., Feld, K., Crespo, E., Whyte, G., Sykes, C., Seifert, U., Guck, J., 2015. Deformation of phospholipid vesicles in an optical stretcher. Soft Matter. doi:10.1039/C5SM00562K
Solmaz, M.E., Sankhagowit, S., Biswas, R., Mejia, C.A., Povinelli, M.L., Malmstadt, N., 2013. Optical stretching as a tool to investigate the mechanical properties of lipid bilayers. Rsc Adv. 3, 16632–16638. doi:10.1039/c3ra42510j 
Solmaz, M.E., Biswas, R., Sankhagowit, S., Thompson, J.R., Mejia, C.A., Malmstadt, N., Povinelli, M.L., 2012. Optical stretching of giant unilamellar vesicles with an integrated dual-beam optical trap. Biomed. Opt. Express 3, 2419–2427. doi:10.1364/BOE.3.002419
TECHNICAL ADVANCES
Grosser, S., Fritsch, A.W., Kießling, T.R., Stange, R., Käs, J.A., 2015. The lensing effect of trapped particles in a dual-beam optical trap. Opt. Express 23, 5221–5235. doi:10.1364/OE.23.005221
Bellini, N., Bragheri, F., Cristiani, I., Guck, J., Osellame, R., Whyte, G., 2012. Validation and perspectives of a femtosecond laser fabricated monolithic optical stretcher. Biomed. Opt. Express 3, 2658–2668. doi:10.1364/BOE.3.002658 
Bellini, N., Vishnubhatla, K.C., Bragheri, F., Ferrara, L., Minzioni, P., Ramponi, R., Cristiani, I., Osellame, R., 2010. Femtosecond laser fabricated monolithic chip for optical trapping and stretching of single cells. Opt. Express 18, 4679–4688. doi:10.1364/OE.18.004679