Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscopy: Operating Principles and Advantages for Medical and Biological Practices

Study of medical and biological objects poses fundamentally new challenges for scanning probe microscopy methods, as the assessment of living systems requires a method to be not only high-resolution but also high-speed, enabling long-term dynamic observations in the most physiologically relevant environment with minimal mechanical impact on cells. Aim of this article was to demonstrate limitations of atomic force microscopy in study of medical and biological objects, to describe the operating principle of scanning ion-conductance microscopy and scanning modes for obtaining dynamic scans, and a method for assessing cell stiffness without direct contact between the probe (nanopipette) and the sample (cell). Main advantages of scanning ion-conductance microscopy for medical and biological research are outlined, along with the design features of the microscope that enable these advantages. An example of live cells (vascular endothelial cells and buccal epithelial cell) scanned using scanning ion conductance microscopy is provided including surface stiffness distribution maps of the cells.

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