Summarizing the latest trends and the current state of this research field, this up-to-date book discusses in detail techniques to perform localized alterations on surfaces with great flexibility, including microfluidic probes, multifunctional nanopipettes and various surface patterning techniques, such as dip pen nanolithography. These techniques are also put in perspective in terms of applications and how they can be transformative of numerous (bio)chemical processes involving surfaces. The editors are from IBM Zurich, the pioneers and pacesetters in the field at the forefront of research in this new and rapidly expanding area.

Proceeding from basic fundamentals to applications, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of the use of AFM and related scanning probe microscopies for cell surface analysis. It covers all cell types, from viruses and protoplasts to bacteria and animal cells. It also discusses a range of advanced AFM modalities, including high-resolution imaging, nanoindentation measurements, recognition imaging, and single-molecule and single-cell force spectroscopy. The book covers methodologies for preparing and analyzing cells and membranes of all kinds and highlights recent examples to illustrate the power of AFM techniques in life sciences and nanomedicine.

This revised second edition is improved linguistically with multiple increases of the number of figures and the inclusion of several novel chapters such as actin filaments during matrix invasion, microtubuli during migration and matrix invasion, nuclear deformability during migration and matrix invasion, and the active role of the tumor stroma in regulating cell invasion.

This book describes these exciting new developments, and presents experimental and computational findings that altogether describe the frontier of knowledge in cellular and biomolecular mechanics, and the biological implications, in health and disease. The book is written for bioengineers with interest in cellular mechanics, for biophysicists, biochemists, medical researchers and all other professionals with interest in how cells produce and respond to mechanical loads.

Atomic Force Microscopy for Nanoscale Biophysics: From Single Molecules to Living Cells summarizes the applications of atomic force microscopy for the investigation of biomolecules and cells. The book discusses the methodology of AFM-based biomedical detection, diverse biological systems, and the combination of AFM with other complementary techniques. These state-of-the-art chapters empower researchers to address biological issues through the application of atomic force microscopy. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a unique, multifunctional tool for investigating the structures and properties of living biological systems under aqueous conditions with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. - Summarizes the recent progress of atomic force microscopy in biomedical applications - Presents the methods and skills of applying atomic force microscopy - Aids researchers in investigating the nanoscale biophysics of diverse biological systems

This volume provides the most cutting edge technologies related to the study of integrin activation and the characterization of their vast interactomes. Chapters detail protocols on experimental approached to quantify focal adhesion parameters, integrin activation, and the lateral interaction of integrins with transmembrane binding partners. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, The Integrin Interactome: Methods and Protocols aims to give the reader a multi-scale journey from single bonds inside protein structures to the function of these crucial adhesion receptors at a whole organism level in physiology and pathology.

This comprehensive reference work details the latest developments in fluorescence imaging and related biological quantification. It explores the most recent techniques in this imaging technology through the utilization and incorporation of quantification analysis which makes this book unique. It also covers super resolution microscopy with the introduction of 3D imaging and high resolution fluorescence. Many of the chapter authors are world class experts in this medical imaging technology.