ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY FOR MEDICINE - Life at the Nanoscale: Atomic Force Microscopy of Live Cells - page 425

cells and subcellular structures. In particular, AFM techniques developed for
cancer diagnostics enable detection of nanoscale properties and/or structure
of cancer cells or tumour-associated biomolecules. The next generation of
AFMs can be integrated with complementary methodologies, including ionic
conductance, total internal relection luorescence, luorescence resonance
energy transfer and luorescence imaging, microluidics, and physico-
chemical measurements, thereby enabling a detailed structure-function
studies of biological tissues. 37 Cancer-associated rapid quantitative changes
in whole-cell morphology, motion and mechanical rigidity via live cell
interferometry 38 can also be combined with the dynamic capability of AFM.
The lexibility and high-resolution capability of these integrated tools will
invariably provide new and exciting information from multiscale biological
systems. An approximate 20-year generic gestation period exists between
any science discovery and its implementation in the market. 39 However,
rapid growth of nano-enabled products and devices in the healthcare market
during the last ive years suggests imminent emergence of nano-enabled
technologies. 2 As the capability to detect and measure nano-dimensional
changes in cells and their environment and using novel platforms to derive
physiological information progresses, medical applications of nano-enabled
and nano-enhanced products and technologies including AFM are bound to
rise in the coming years.

References

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and Thun, M. J. (2005) Cancer statistics, 2005, CA Cancer J. Clin. , 55 , 10-30.

4. Lee, G. Y. H., and Lim, C. T. (2007) Biomechanics approaches to studying

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5. Christofori, G. (2006) New signals from the invasive front, Nature , 441 ,

444-450.

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8. (a) Goldmann, W. H., and Ezzell, R. M. (1996) Viscoelasticity in wild-type

and vinculin-deicient (5.51) mouse F9 embryonic carcinoma cells examined
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