Yang, D. et al. Nat. Commun. 7, 11026 (2016).

Force spectroscopy is widely used to study single molecules, but it has largely been limited to low-throughput measurements. Yang et al. describe a spatiotemporally multiplexed force spectroscopy approach that enables high-throughput measurements. Their approach uses a newly designed miniature centrifuge force microscope in combination with mechanical DNA nanoswitches to study DNA unzipping. Centrifuge force spectroscopy uses a rapidly rotating, high-resolution detection system to simultaneously apply uniform force to objects and observe their motions. The nanoswitches facilitate both automated analysis of large data sets and repeated interrogation of single molecules. Using their approach, the researchers were able to conduct repeated force measurements on hundreds of single double-stranded DNA molecules. The method allows both temperature control and high-precision particle tracking, and it paves the way for future high-throughput studies at the single-molecule level.