Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and systems for manipulating a particle, in particular for studying small particles and/or biological cellular bodies. A disclosed method comprises the steps of: providing a sample holder (3) comprising a holding space (5) for holding a sample comprising a particle (9) in a fluid medium (11); providing a driving signal, having a signal frequency, a signal amplitude and a signal power, to the sample holder generating an acoustic wave in the sample holder (3) for applying an acoustic force to the particle (9), the wave having a frequency; determining an acoustic resonance frequency of the sample holder and determining a quality factor for the sample holder with respect to the resonance frequency. An associated system (1) is also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining interaction between cells are described wherein the method includes determining or receiving a sequence of images representing manipulating first cells, in a holding space, the holding space including a functionalized wall comprising second cells, the manipulating including settling of the first cells onto the functionalized wall and applying a force on the settled first cells; detecting groups of pixels representing first cells in first images representing the settling of the first cells onto the functionalized wall; tracking locations of detected first cells in the first images; and, determining settling events, a settling event being determined if a cell in a first image is not distinguishable from background of the first image, the location in the image at which a cell settling event is detected defining a cell settling location; detecting groups of pixels representing cells in second images captured during the application of the force and tracking locations of detected

Abstract: A method of manipulating and/or investigating cellular bodies (9) is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing a sample holder (3) comprising a holding space (5) for holding a fluid medium (11); providing a sample (7) comprising one or more cellular bodies (9) in a fluid medium (11) in the holding space (5); generating an acoustic wave in the holding space exerting a force (F) on the sample (7) in the holding space (5). The method further comprises providing the holding space (5) with a functionalised wall surface portion (17) to be contacted by the sample (7) and the sample (7) is in contact with the functionalised wall surface portion (17) during at least part of the step of application of the acoustic wave. A system and a sample holder (3) are also provided.

Abstract: One aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for determining a force acting on at least part of a structure, for example a biological structure, such as a DNA molecule. The method comprises controlling a light-sensitive system, e.g. of a microscope, to determine light information based on light from the structure. The light is incident on at least a part of the light sensitive system. The light-sensitive system may be said to capture the light from the structure. The at least part of the structure comprises one or more optically active entities, such as DNA intercalator molecules and donor/acceptor fluorophores. At least one of (i) an optical activity of the entities and (ii) a quantity of the entities depends on the force acting on the at least part of the structure. Furthermore, the light information defines a light property value associated with said at least part of the structure.