Multifunctional DNA Nano-Sensors to Determine Pushing Forces

Physical forces are part of our everyday life, such as when we pull open a door or when we push our fingers against a soft material. Physical forces are also widespread at the much smaller level of biological cells within our bodies. Cells, for example, touch each other with microscale fingers before they more closely interact. Strikingly, this touching pushing interaction plays a key role when an immune response is formed to defend our bodies against bad microbes or cancer cells. While pushing forces are essential in our bodies, we do not know their force range. In this project, we will develop new force sensors to answer how immune cells interact to initiate the immune response. The new force sensors will functionally resemble a compressible metal spring from a ball-point-pen but be around a billion times smaller. As another innovation, the nanoscale springs compression and the applied force will be read- out with a simple light signal. These new pushing-force sensors will be placed between interacting cells to measure the intercell forces which are expected to be a billion times smaller than the force required to hold up an apple. With these highly sensitive nanosensors, key insights into the formation of an immune response will be obtained which helps to develop new cancer drugs.