Combined Atomic Force and Optical Microscope
Image of two Shewanella bacteria with flagella on a hematite surface.
The Asylum MFP-3D BIO is a versatile atomic force microscope (AFM) that combines molecular resolution imaging and picoNewton force-based measurements on an inverted optical microscope. It is designed specifically for biological applications and can be used to:
- study individual protein or DNA molecules in-situ
- image the surface of living cells
- measure the adhesive forces of proteins on cell surfaces
- conduct single-molecule force spectroscopy of single DNA, protein, and polysaccharide molecules
- conduct nanolithography and manipulation of samples on the nanometer and picoNewton scale.
Nanolithograph of the U.S. Department of Energy logo etched onto a polycarbonate surface.
With the MFP-3D-BIO, researchers can locate sample features using brightfield, Zernike phase contrast, or fluorescence microscopy, then zoom into the nanometer scale using the AFM. Powerful optical microscopy techniques can be combined with the AFM, including confocal, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF). At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), we are in the process of adding the capability to synchronize with confocal measurements to our MFP-3D-BIO. Advanced software capabilities allow the researcher to display results intuitively in three dimensions, then use powerful analysis and scripting tools to extract and graph quantitative information.
Image of individual protein molecules on a glass slide.
