Model system = giant lipid vesicles + membrane adhesive beads + an optical-tweezer-pulled nanotube. Track the bead, map the interaction energy in comparison with thermal motion 🌌➡️🫧

Cell membranes bend when proteins, viruses or nanoparticles stick to them. Two nearby bends “feel” each other through the lipid sheet, a bit like masses interact through curved spacetime. But do they always attract? We set out to measure that directly.

NWO CHAINS just started! Dealing with optics? I would be happy to chat :)