Patent ID: 7244391

Claim:
An apparatus for manipulating and testing molecules comprising a surface to which the molecule is anchored at multiple points at one end, a paramagnetic bead on which said molecule is anchored at multiple points at another end of the molecule, a magnetic means for applying a force to the bead, said magnetic means being used to control the stretching and rotation of said bead and said molecule, an optical magnification means and a camera for the visualization of said bead, a computer means to which images from the camera are transmitted, said computer means comprising means for analyzing the motions of the bead, a rotating means for spinning the magnetic means about an optical axis of the magnification means, the magnetic means being positioned at a distance from the molecule in the direction of the optical axis of the magnification means, perpendicular to the optical axis, so that the force applied to the bead is substantially directed parallel to said optical axis, and the field produced by the magnetic means is perpendicular to the optical axis, wherein rotation and translation of the magnetic means causes rotation and translation of the bead, which allows to control stretching and torsion of the molecule.