Live Cell Imaging with the AFM

Introduction
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
is a powerful, non-destructive
technique that can be applied to
the study of a variety of materials
of biological signifi cance and/or
biological origin. It provides a means
to study the structural elements
of very delicate structures, such
as healthy or diseased living cells
and offers unique opportunities to
image, identify and study biological
features on the surface of cells and
even certain structural elements
inside of cells. Using AFM to image
living cells, important information
on the architecture of membranes,
organelles, and cytoskeletal structures
can directly be gathered, without
the use of potentially interfering
fl uorescent labels or probes. Cellular
studies that have been aided by AFM
have provided information about
living cell dynamics, intercellular
communication and responses to
stimulus, drugs, or toxic substances;
all in real-time. Non-destructive AFM
images of cellular structures can
quickly and easily be obtained with the
Agilent 5500 AFM. Whether this AFM
is used as a stand alone system or it
is combined with an inverted optical
microscope (ILM), images of living
cells and cellular structures, far below
the limits of optical resolution, can be
quickly and relatively easily obtained.