ZEISS PALM MicroTweezers

For Cells and Sub-cellular Structures – Precise, Contact-Free Cell and Particle Manipulation

Simple and Precise Micro-manipulation

PALM MicroTweezers by ZEISS is an optical tweezers system that allows for precise, contact-free cell manipulation as well as to trap, move, and sort microscopic particles.

With PALM MicroTweezers you manipulate cells and particles in the micro- and sub-micrometer range without contact. The highly focused laser beam allows you to trap, move and sort live cells, organelles and other large biomolecules. A simple mouse click on your target is sufficient to trap it.

You are able to complement PALM MicroTweezers with the Force Measurement software module and with high-end imaging and supplementary technologies from ZEISS, such as live cell imaging systems or PALM MicroBeam for laser microdissection.

Highlights

Contact-free, non-invasive sample manipulation in 3D
Trap, position or sort microscopic objects
Intuitive dual-beam operation with click & trap functionality
Combined micromanipulation and high end imaging workstation
Compatible with other ZEISS solutions such as PALM MicroBeam
Applications range from micromanipulation, cell-cell interactions, cell sorting to quantitative force measurements

click to enlarge

Technology

High-Precision Manipulation

PALM MicroTweezers are the ideal solution when you demand a high-precision tool for the separation and manipulation of particles at the cellular and sub-cellular level. They are very intuitive and allow you to trap, move and position microscopic objects, such as red blood cells or bacteria.

Optical tweezers use the force field of a highly focused laser beam to generate an optical trap. This allows for precise micro-manipulation without mechanical contact. Our system uses an infrared laser with a wavelength of 1064nm to minimize effects on your live samples.

^{Two erythrocytes (red blood cells) “dance” under the control of the light}

PALM RoboSoftware Module Force Measurement

The software module Force Measurement allows not only the manipulation of microscopic particles with optical tweezers, but also the quantitative measurement of forces relevant to various disciplines of life science research. The intuitive software is easy to use and offers flexible functionality and experimental freedom ranging from sperm motility measurements to the characterization of plasma membrane properties, molecular binding forces, or cell elasticity measurements.