Optical tweezers in pharmacology.

Current applications of optical tweezers in pharmacology are presented. The manufacture of cellular biosensor arrays employing optical tweezers is reviewed. Using this technique, a new approach to cellular drug screening, based on single cells patterned with the laser tweezers was introduced. Specific stimulation of different immobilized, viable cells could be shown simultaneously. Furthermore, the usefulness of optical tweezers for analyzing the interactions of ligands with cellular membrane receptors is demonstrated. The laser tweezers could successfully be used to compare neuron interactions with glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix by applying the optical tweezers as picotensometer. The forces of interactions between polystyrene beads coated with different proteins of the extracellular matrix and the cell membrane receptors of cerebellar neurons from postnatal day 6 (P6) mice were measured. When antibodies to the extracellular matrix proteins were added, forces were significantly reduced for the corresponding antigens but not for the other glycoproteins. This proved the specificity of the measured interactions. Information regarding the receptor anchorage of tenascin-C could be deduced.