The facility allows a quantitative control of the interaction force, providing the required stability to capture dynamic processes in physiological environment. High-speed and fast force mapping allows the real-time and label-free evaluation of the biophysical effects of pathogens/drugs/model nanosystems (e.g. vesicles) on the recipient cells. This technique can highlight the effect of membrane specific lipids/proteins on the internalization of pathogens by cells, the dynamics of surface proteins and their role in cell invasion and the contribute of membrane structure and elasticity to the resistance to pathogen interaction.
📍 The “High-speed and high-resolution AFM” is located at the NanoInnovation Laboratory of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste in Area Science Park.