Imaging viscoelastic properties of live cells by AFM: power-law rheology on the nanoscale.

Local viscoelastic properties of live cells investigated using dynamic and quasi-static atomic force microscopy methods.

The measurement of viscoelasticity of cells in physiological environments with high spatio-temporal resolution is a key goal in cell mechanobiology. Traditionally only the elastic properties have been measured from quasi-static force-distance curves using the atomic force microscope (AFM). Recently, dynamic AFM-based methods have been proposed to map the local in vitro viscoelastic properties o...

Atomic Force Microscopy Application in Biological Research: A Review Study

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a three-dimensional topographic technique with a high atomic resolution to measure surface roughness. AFM is a kind of scanning probe microscope, and its near-field technique is based on the interaction between a sharp tip and the atoms of the sample surface. There are several methods and many ways to modify the tip of the AFM to investigate surface properties, ...

Exploring Nanoscale Viscoelastic Properties Recent Advances in Contact Resonance Imaging with AFM

Fast, multi-frequency, and quantitative nanomechanical mapping of live cells using the atomic force microscope

A longstanding goal in cellular mechanobiology has been to link dynamic biomolecular processes underpinning disease or morphogenesis to spatio-temporal changes in nanoscale mechanical properties such as viscoelasticity, surface tension, and adhesion. This requires the development of quantitative mechanical microscopy methods with high spatio-temporal resolution within a single cell. The Atomic ...

Abstract template

Cell biomechanics mediates critical cell functions including proliferation, differentiation, gene expression, contraction, and migration. Moreover, cells sense and actively respond to the mechanical features of their microenvironment. Therefore, a precise characterization of the mechanical properties of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) is needed to further our understanding of the cell-micr...