Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

The active transport of organelles and other cargos along the axon is required to maintain
neuronal health and function, but we are just beginning to understand the complex …

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trapping, and
manipulation of objects, ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work …

Richard Feynman's 1959 vision of controlling devices at small scales and swallowing the
surgeon has inspired the science-fiction Fantastic Voyage film and has played a crucial role …

Over the past two decades, the development of plasmonic nanoparticle (NPs), especially
gold (Au) NPs, is being pursued more seriously in the medical fields such as imaging, drug …

Axonal transport is essential for neuronal function, and many neurodevelopmental and
neurodegenerative diseases result from mutations in the axonal transport machinery …

Optical forces, generally arising from changes of field gradients or linear momentum carried
by photons, form the basis for optical trapping and manipulation. Advances in optical forces …

Molecular motors in cells typically produce highly directed motion; however, the aggregate,
incoherent effect of all active processes also creates randomly fluctuating forces, which drive …

Dynein and its cofactor dynactin form a highly processive microtubule motor in the presence
of an activating adaptor, such as BICD2. Different adaptors link dynein and dynactin to …

Cytoplasmic dynein is an approximately 1.4 MDa multi‐protein complex that transports many
cellular cargoes towards the minus ends of microtubules. Several in vitro studies of …