Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Quantum dots have been used as bright fluorescent tags with high photostability to probe numerous biological systems. In this work we present the tetrapod quantum dot as a dynamic, next-generation nanocrystal probe that fluorescently reports cellular forces with spatial and temporal resolution. Its small size and colloidal state suggest that the tetrapod may be further developed as a tool to measure cellular forces in vivo and with macromolecular spatial resolution.