Improvement of Silicon Nanotweezers Sensitivity for Mechanical Characterization of Biomolecules Using Closed-Loop Control

Lafitte, Nicolas; Haddab, Yassine; Gorrec, Yann Le; Guillou, Hervé; Kumemura, Momoko; Jalabert, Laurent; Collard, Dominique; Fujita, Hiroyuki

doi:10.1109/tmech.2014.2351415

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Electronics equipment, i.e., a function generator (Agilent 33220A) and an amplifier (NF, BA4825), was required to actuate tweezers. For sensing capabilities an additional lock‐in‐amplifier (Signal Recovery, AMETEK 7270 DSP) and i‐v amplifiers (Signal Recovery, model 5182) were needed …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pick‐and‐Place Assembly of Single Microtubules

Tarhan

Yokokawa

Jalabert

et al. 2017

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Intracellular transport is affected by the filament network in the densely packed cytoplasm. Biophysical studies focusing on intracellular transport based on microtubule-kinesin system frequently use in vitro motility assays, which are performed either on individual microtubules or on random (or simple) microtubule networks. Assembling intricate networks with high flexibility requires the manipulation of 25 nm diameter microtubules individually, which can be achieved through the use of pick-and-place assembly. Although widely used to assemble tiny objects, pick-and-place is not a common practice for the manipulation of biological materials. Using the high-level handling capabilities of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, tweezers are designed and fabricated to pick and place single microtubule filaments. Repeated picking and placing cycles provide a multilayered and multidirectional microtubule network even for different surface topographies. On-demand assembly of microtubules forms crossings at desired angles for biophysical studies as well as complex networks that can be used as nanotransport systems.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tweezers were fabricated using a 〈100〉 oriented silicon‐on‐insulator wafer and fundamental micromachining techniques as detailed elsewhere . The arms and the movable structures of the actuating and sensing elements were fabricated using double side deep reactive‐ion etching and vapor hydrofluoric acid releasing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pick‐and‐Place Assembly of Single Microtubules

Tarhan

Yokokawa

Jalabert

et al. 2017

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“…The sharp tips engineering included a local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) and wet anisotropic etching for revealing <111> crystallographic planes. The spring structures and inertia center of the tweezers were carefully designed to obtain a parallel motion both of the movable tip and capacitive sensing structures providing accurate sensing31. Protruding tips with an angle of 130° allowed tweezers to operate inside the microfluidic device with minimum immersion.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rapid and practical technique for real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions using mechanical responses of macromolecules

Tarhan

Lafitte

Tauran

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Monitoring biological reactions using the mechanical response of macromolecules is an alternative approach to immunoassays for providing real-time information about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Although force spectroscopy techniques, e.g. AFM and optical tweezers, perform precise molecular measurements at the single molecule level, sophisticated operation prevent their intensive use for systematic biosensing. Exploiting the biomechanical assay concept, we used micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) to develop a rapid platform for monitoring bio/chemical interactions of bio macromolecules, e.g. DNA, using their mechanical properties. The MEMS device provided real-time monitoring of reaction dynamics without any surface or molecular modifications. A microfluidic device with a side opening was fabricated for the optimal performance of the MEMS device to operate at the air-liquid interface for performing bioassays in liquid while actuating/sensing in air. The minimal immersion of the MEMS device in the channel provided long-term measurement stability (>10 h). Importantly, the method allowed monitoring effects of multiple solutions on the same macromolecule bundle (demonstrated with DNA bundles) without compromising the reproducibility. We monitored two different types of effects on the mechanical responses of DNA bundles (stiffness and viscous losses) exposed to pH changes (2.1 to 4.8) and different Ag+ concentrations (1 μM to 0.1 M).

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“…The sensing side consists of three elements [ 26 , 28 ]: (i) comb-drive actuators providing the necessary vibrating motion of the sensing tip, (ii) differential parallel plate capacitors for displacement sensing, and (iii) a sensing tip to access the handling area ( Figure 1 a and Figure 4 ). These elements are mechanically connected while kept isolated electrically to provide optimal simultaneous mechanical and electrical sensing.…”

Section: Concept and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a MEMS Device with Built-in Microfluidics for Biophysical Single Cell Characterization

et al. 2018

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This study combines the high-throughput capabilities of microfluidics with the sensitive measurements of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology to perform biophysical characterization of circulating cells for diagnostic purposes. The proposed device includes a built-in microchannel that is probed by two opposing tips performing compression and sensing separately. Mechanical displacement of the compressing tip (up to a maximum of 14 µm) and the sensing tip (with a quality factor of 8.9) are provided by two separate comb-drive actuators, and sensing is performed with a capacitive displacement sensor. The device is designed and developed for simultaneous electrical and mechanical measurements. As the device is capable of exchanging the liquid inside the channel, different solutions were tested consecutively. The performance of the device was evaluated by introducing varying concentrations of glucose (from 0.55 mM (0.1%) to 55.5 mM (10%)) and NaCl (from 0.1 mM to 10 mM) solutions in the microchannel and by monitoring changes in the mechanical and electrical properties. Moreover, we demonstrated biological sample handling by capturing single cancer cells. These results show three important capabilities of the proposed device: mechanical measurements, electrical measurements, and biological sample handling. Combined in one device, these features allow for high-throughput multi-parameter characterization of single cells.

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Improvement of Silicon Nanotweezers Sensitivity for Mechanical Characterization of Biomolecules Using Closed-Loop Control

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

Pick‐and‐Place Assembly of Single Microtubules

Pick‐and‐Place Assembly of Single Microtubules

A rapid and practical technique for real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions using mechanical responses of macromolecules

Developing a MEMS Device with Built-in Microfluidics for Biophysical Single Cell Characterization

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