US-Turkey Cooperative Research: A New High Resolution AFM Technique for Biological Imaging

描述：该奖项是为了支持密歇根州底特律韦恩州立大学物理与天文系的Peter Hoffmann博士和土耳其安卡拉比尔肯特大学物理系的Ahmet Oral博士的联合研究项目。他们计划研究开发一种新的高分辨率原子力显微镜（AFM）技术，用于生物成像。常用的原子力显微镜技术面临着进一步改进的基本限制。这些限制是由于普通AFM技术的基本操作原理，不能通过简单的参数调整来改变。pi计划设计和建造一个AFM技术的原型，以避免这些限制，原则上，应该能够提供非接触原子分辨率成像和直接定量逐点测量液体中的原位相互作用。这种AFM技术依赖于AFM悬臂的亚共振，超小（1A）振荡。这使测量线性化，并使数据解释简单明了。范围：该奖项将允许一名美国科学家与一名土耳其科学家在一个具有高科学潜力的研究项目中合作。生物分子的纳米力学和生物结构的直接成像是生物化学、生物工程和医学的重要研究方向。这两位科学家直接参与了超高真空（UHV）和上述AFM技术的初步液体版本的开发，该技术在UHV和液体中被证明是成功的。然而，基于液体的AFM非常难以使用，并且存在一些基本的设计问题，这些问题将在本次合作中得到解决。最终目标是建立一种基于新颖操作原理的用户友好的新型AFM技术，并对实际生物结构进行成像和测量。该仪器的发展将加强PI目前的工作，在他的大学医学院，对组织的机械行为和天然抗生素剂对某些细菌的抗生素作用，因为它将允许更高分辨率的成像和纳米力学特性的定量测量。两位研究人员都是初级科学家，该项目还将资助两所机构的研究生。

0217789HoffmannDescription: This award is for support of a joint research project between Dr. Peter Hoffmann, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan and Dr. Ahmet Oral, Physics Department, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. They plan to study the development of a new high-resolution Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique for biological imaging. Commonly used AFM techniques face fundamental limits to further improvement. These limitations are due to fundamental operating principles of common AFM techniques, which cannot be changed by simple adjustments of parameters. The PIs plan to design and build a prototype of an AFM technique that avoids these limitations and, in principle, should be able to provide non-contact atomic resolution imaging and direct quantitative point-by-point measurements of interactions in situ in liquids. This AFM technique relies on a sub-resonance, ultra-small ( 1A) oscillation of the AFM cantilever. This linearizes the measurement and makes data interpretation straightforward. Scope: This award will allow a US scientist to collaborate with a Turkish scientist in a research project of high scientific potential. The nanomechanics of biomolecules and the direct imaging of biological structures are of great interest in biochemistry, bioengineering and medicine. The two scientists were directly involved in the development of an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and a preliminary liquid-based version of the above described AFM technique which proved to be successful in UHV and in liquid. However, the liquid based AFM was very difficult to use and had some fundamental design issues, which will be addressed in this collaboration. The ultimate goal would be the construction of a user-friendly new AFM technique based on a novel operational principle, and the imaging and measurement of actual biological structures. The development of this instrument would enhance current work by the PI, at his university's medical school, on the mechanical behavior of tissues and antibiotic action of native antibiotic agents on certain bacteria, since it would allow for much higher resolution imaging and quantitative measurements of nanomechanical properties. Both investigators are junior scientists, and the project will also support two graduate students from each institution.