A versatile multimode microscope to probe and manipulate nanoparticles and biomolecules

We describe a flexible, multifaceted optical setup that allows quantitative measurement and manipulation of biomolecules and nanoparticles in biomimetic and cellular systems. We have implemented integrated biophotonics techniques (i.e. differential interference contrast, wide-field fluorescence, prism- and objective-based total internal reflection excitation, single particle tracking, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and dynamic holographic optical trapping) on a single platform. The adaptability of this versatile, custom-designed system allows us to simultaneously monitor cell morphology, while measuring lateral diffusion of biomolecules or controlling their cellular location or interaction partners.