UBC Okanagan resarchers have unveiled two innovations that could transform how scientists study the mechanical forces that drive processes like wound healing, immune response and cancer progression.
The discoveries, published in Advanced Science and Angewandte Chemie, were led by Dr. Isaac Li, associate professor of chemistry and Canada Research Chair in single-molecule biophysics and mechanobiology.
His team developed a new imaging method called qtPAINT, along with a technique to make molecular force probes last much longer inside living cells.
qtPAINT is the first method capable of measuring molecular forces with nanometre-scale precision and tracking them over minutes.
It works by pairing DNA-based tension probes with advanced microscopy, letting scientists see both the location and strength of tiny mechanical forces in real time.
“Before qtPAINT, researchers could see where these forces were happening, but we couldn’t measure how strong they were or how they changed over time,” said Dr. Seongho Kim, lead author of the qtPAINT study.
The team’s second breakthrough solves a problem that has long limited DNA-based force probes: they are quickly degraded by enzymes known as DNases. Their solution—called “decoy DNA”—adds extra harmless strands to absorb the enzymes, extending probe life from a few hours to more than a day, and sometimes several days.
“Rather than using complex and costly chemical modifications, our approach is more like distracting predators with these decoys,” said Hongyuan Zhang, lead author of the decoy DNA study.
Li said the two advances give scientists more durable and precise tools for exploring how cells sense, move and communicate. This could accelerate discoveries in fields such as cancer research, immunology and regenerative medicine.
The work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chair program and Michael Smith Health Research B.C.