Dual Beam Optical Tweezers integrated with Confocal Microscope

External users: registration to be carried out only through I-STEM portal
Additional information about sample and analysis details should be filled in the pdf form provided in the I-STEM portal under “DOWNLOAD CSRF”

Internal users (IITB): registration to be carried out only through DRONA portal
Additional information about sample and analysis details should be filled in the pdf form provided here.

Make
Optical Tweezer/Magnetic Twister: Bruker; DIC and Confocal Microscope: Nikon
Model
Optical Tweezer: JPK NanoTrackerTM 2 Microscope: Nikon Confocal Microscope Eclipse Ti2 A
Facility Status
Working
Date of Installation
Facility Management Division
Centre for Sophisticated Instruments and Facilities (CSIF)-IoE Funded

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Category

  • Microscopy and Imaging » Force Microscopy

Booking Details

Booking available for
Internal and External Both
Available Equipment/ Mode of use
1. Only DIC imaging (fixed sample)
2. Only Confocal Imaging (4 channels-blue, green, red, far-red) (fixed sample)
3. Only DIC imaging (live cell sample)
4. Only Confocal imaging (4 channels-blue, green, red, far-red) (live cell sample)
5. Optical Tweezers with DIC Mode (in vitro reconstituted sample)
6. Optical Tweezers with Confocal Mode (4 channels-blue, green, red, far-red) (in vitro reconstituted sample)
7. Optical Tweezers with DIC Mode (live cell sample)
8. Optical Tweezers with Confocal Mode (4 channels-blue, green, red, far-red) (live cell sample)
9. Magnetic Twisters (in vitro reconstituted sample)
10. Magnetic Twisters (live cell sample)

Facility Management Team and Location

Facility In Charge
Prof. Ambarish Kunwar
akunwar@iitb.ac.in
+(91-22) 2576 7799
Co-convenors
Prof. Kiran Kondabagil
Prof. Atul Srivastava
Facility Operator
Aranyak Mitra
Facility Management Members
Prof. Ambarish Kunwar (BSBE)
Prof. Kiran Kondabagil (BSBE)
Prof. Hari Varma (BSBE)
Prof. Atul Srivastava (ME)
Prof. Kasturi Saha (EE)
Department
Biosciences and Bioengineering
Lab Email ID
otmtfacility@gmail.com
Facility Location
Imaging Facility, Ground Floor, Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering (BSBE), I.I.T. Bombay, Powai, Mumbai – 400076
Lab Phone No
022-2576-6719

Facility Features, Working Principle and Specifications

Features Working Principle

WORKING PRINCIPLE:

Optical tweezers use highly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate microscopic particles, such as cells, organelles, or nanoparticles, without physical contact. This allows for the measurement of forces in the microscopic scale, which are not possible through any other technique. Forces in the pN range can be accurately measured using this technique.

FEATURES:

The dual-beam optical tweezer allows trapping and manipulation of two objects at the same time. Additionally, one trap can be multiplexed to form multiple traps which can be used to manipulate multiple objects at the same time. This allows for the formation and manipulation of complex patterns. The magnetic twister allows twisting and manipulation of samples attached to magnetic beads. Simultaneous optical trapping and manipulation and visualization in Confocal mode is possible in the instrument- a powerful and specific tool when manipulating samples whose components are labelled with fluorophores. 
 

Body Specification

Optical trapping laser: 1064 nm

Confocal lasers: 405 nm (blue), 488 nm (green), 561 nm (red), 640 nm (far-red)

Technical Specifications:

  • JPK NanoTrackerTM Controller
  • Signal Access Module for NanoTrackerTM Controller
  • JPK NanoTrackerTM Control Software
  • JPK NanoTrackerTM 2 Laser Steering Unit
  • Laboratory Table with Vibration Isolation
  • JPK Multichannel LaminarFlowCell (LFCTM) with Temperature Control
  • JPK PetridishHeaterTM
  • Nikon Ti2-A Inverted Microscope for Confocal and DIC 
  • JPK NT2 Head-Magnetic TwisterTM
  • CO2 controller for live cell samples

Sample Preparation, User Instructions and Precautionary Measures

Instruction for Sample Preparation

In vitro samples:

Samples must be prepared in a flow chamber between two coverslips. A square cover slip can be pasted over a rectangular one and the sample flowed in between them. The sample chamber must be sealed before the experiment.

Live-cell samples:

Samples must be prepared on 35 x 10 mm confocal dishes with glass bottom. 
 

User Instructions and Precautionary Measures
  1. The experimental data provided is only for research / development purposes. These cannot be used as certificates in legal disputes.
  2. A maximum 2 samples will be analyzed against a single Registration Form.
  3. The users should know the approximate viscosity of the sample before submitting it for analysis.

 

Charges for Analytical Services in Different Categories

Usage Charges

Charges for the  Facility : 

User Category

Charges Per Slot (1 slot = 2 hours)

Internal Users of IIT-B (DIC Imaging Only) (Instrument TA)

INR 150

Internal Users of IIT-B (Confocal Imaging Only) (Instrument TA)

INR 150

Internal Users of IIT-B (DIC Imaging Only)

INR 300

Internal Users of IIT-B (Confocal Imaging Only)

INR 300

Internal Users of IIT-B (Instrument TA)

INR 300

Internal Users of IIT-B 

INR 600

External Academic Institutions

INR 1,200/- (exclusive of GST)*

External National R&D Labs

INR 3,000/- (exclusive of GST)*

Industries

INR 6000/-(exclusive of GST)*

Start up (SINE incubation)

INR 3,000/- (exclusive of GST)*

Monash IITB

INR 600/-(exclusive of GST)*

SAARCS Countries and African Countries

Academia: INR 3,000/- (exclusive of GST)*

Industry: INR 6000/-(exclusive of GST)*

Other Countries

Academia: INR 6,000/- (exclusive of GST)*

Industry: INR 12,000/-(exclusive of GST)*

*Note: GST rates are applicable for all users mentioned. If the recipient of the data/report is from Maharashtra, 9% SGST and 9% CGST will be applicable. If the recipient of the data/report is from outside Maharashtra, 18% IGST will be applicable. 

 

Applications

Key applications include:

  • Biophysics: Force measurements in DNA, RNA, and protein interactions; single-molecule studies; cell mechanics.
  • Nanotechnology: Analyzing nanoparticle properties; particle manipulation in microfluidics.
  • Cell Biology: Studying intracellular transport and membrane dynamics.
  • Soft Matter Research: Exploring colloidal behavior and polymer dynamics, microrheology measurements
  • Precision Measurements: Nanomechanics and environmental sensing.

Sample Details

SOP, Lab Policies and Other Details

Publications