# LUMICKS C-trap for Mechanistic Studies of Biological Systems at the University of Rochester

> **NIH NIH S10** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2022 · $600,000

## Abstract

Abstract
We are requesting funding to purchase a LUMICKS C-Trap optical tweezer and confocal
fluorescence microscope. This instrument will greatly expand the ability to perform mechanical
measurements of single molecules and cells at the University of Rochester. These services will
be made available to a user base extending throughout the University of Rochester and Western
New York. Mechanical measurements of single molecules and cells greatly advance our
understanding of fundamental biological processes such as cell motility, transcription, and protein
folding. However, optical tweezers are frequently custom-designed, making it difficult for non-
specialists to adapt these techniques to their system of interest. The LUMICKS C-Trap will remove
this barrier by providing a versatile microfluidic delivery system and user-friendly software that will
serve as a single integrated platform for applying a wide range of mechanical forces, precisely
detecting nm-scale structural transitions, and measuring the emission of multiple fluorophores
concurrently. Dr. Elio Abbondanzieri, a pioneer in the field of optical tweezers, will assist users in
designing assays tailored to their scientific questions. The broad range of measurements that can
be performed with this instrument will be utilized by our diverse initial user group covering a wide
range of scientific topics including phase-separated condensates from bacteria, regulation of
translation, CRISPR tool development, cell migration, chromatin structure, and organelle motility.
This group includes researchers from the University of Rochester River Campus, University of
Rochester Medical Center, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Although the initial users have
varied interests, a common theme is that they have scientific questions that cannot be addressed
with instruments currently available on campus. The LUMICKS C-Trap is thus ideally suited to
function as a state-of-the-art resource that enables current and future investigators to further the
goals of their NIH-funded research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10435816
- **Project number:** 1S10OD030296-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Elio Aaron Abbondanzieri
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $600,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10435816

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10435816, LUMICKS C-trap for Mechanistic Studies of Biological Systems at the University of Rochester (1S10OD030296-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10435816. Licensed CC0.

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