Measuring forces of living cells and microorganisms

Forces exerted by a living cell or a microorganism are tiny, often no larger than a few nanonewtons. For comparison, one nanonewton is the weight of one part in a billion of a typical chocolate bar. Yet, for biological cells and microbes, these forces are enough to allow cells to stick to a surface or microbes to propel themselves toward nutrients. Scientists from Finland and Germany now present a highly adaptable technique using micropipette force sensors to precisely measure the forces exerted by a wide range of micron-sized organisms. This novel method has now been published in Nature Protocols.