Magzy
Open-hardware magnetic tweezers built from LEGO® parts for cell microrheology.
Magzy is an open-hardware magnetic tweezers system built from LEGO® parts, designed for cell microrheology measurements. Magnetic tweezers are normally custom-built or commercial instruments that require specialized parts and significant investment; by building the system out of LEGO® parts, Magzy aims to make this biophysical technique more accessible to labs without dedicated commercial equipment. Data from Magzy are analysed with PyMicRheo.
The project follows the same approach as the lab’s LEGO®-based cell stretcher: using a low-cost, standardized, and widely available parts ecosystem to lower the barrier to entry for setting up specialized measurement tools. Magnetic tweezers apply controlled forces to magnetic beads attached to cells or biomolecules, allowing measurement of mechanical properties such as stiffness and viscoelastic behaviour.
The system is currently in development, and details of its design and validation will be added here once available.