Project

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) - nanobiotechnology based platform for achieving the dynamics of individual molecules to versatile materials and cell mechanics

Code
319302420
Duration
01 May 2020 → 30 April 2024
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Physical chemistry of materials
    • Macromolecular and materials chemistry not elsewhere classified
    • Cell death and senescence
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Biomechanics
    • Cell death
    • Tissue engineering
    • Other pharmaceutical sciences not elsewhere classified
  • Engineering and technology
    • (Waste)water treatment processes
    • Sustainable and environmental engineering not elsewhere classified
    • Other (bio)chemical engineering not elsewhere classified
    • Biomaterials
    • Tissue engineering
    • Hybrid composites
    • Other biotechnology, bio-engineering and biosystem engineering not elsewhere classified
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Agricultural animal breeding and biotechnology
    • Agricultural plant breeding and biotechnology
    • Food technology
    • Food sciences and (bio)technology not elsewhere classified
Keywords
atomic force microscopy vibrational spectroscopy micro Raman-spectroscopy fourier transform infrared mechanobiology
 
Project description

An AFM-nanobiotechnology platform that is composed of (1) a high-speed bio-AFM, and (2) an upgraded AFM with advanced sensors, is proposed. This platform will allow to study various nano(bio)technology topics at a very high state-of-the-art spatial and temporal resolution. The intended research domains include structural biology (microbial adhesins, fibril formation, protein crystallisation), nanomicrobiology (host pathogen interactions, protein-DNA interactions) and microbiology (bacteria and water purification), nanomedicine (cell mechanobiology), and (bio)material science (corrosion, adhesive micropatterns), and food sciences. The system will also be extendedto includes the object manipulation technology that can be used for pen lithography, single cell manipulation, single cell injection, single cell force spectroscopy, and single-cell nanomotion detection. Advanced sensory functionalities based on vibrational and fluorescence microscopy will allow for obtain additional insights into structure of materials and molecule conformation.