'Femtomolar Optical Tweezers' May Enable Sensitive Blood Tests (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

'Femtomolar Optical Tweezers' May Enable Sensitive Blood Tests

Caption

Basic scheme of an optical tweezer-based sensor of biological particles. A microsphere covered with a specific antigen (such as a virus or other infectious agent) is trapped and pulled away from a surface containing the corresponding antibodies. The minimum amount of force applied to the tweezers to break the bonds can provide information on the concentration of antibodies on the surface.

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NIST

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