Emerging nanoscopy for single entity characterisation

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The capability of interpreting phenomena at the nanoscale level has led to an unprecedented and refined understanding of structures and mechanisms of single entities. This has brought a new era across the fields of biomedicine, biophysics and biomaterial nanoscience, and thus revise our previous concepts on cellular structures and nanoscale electronics. These technologies bear an enormous potential to transform not only the advancement of our knowledge, but also the development of diagnostic/prognostic approaches. However, we currently lack the ability to conduct correlative imaging at this challenging dimension while directly linking the nanoscale mechanical, physical and electrical parameters with macroscopic phenomena. Therefore, it is timely and important to explore innovative measurement and imaging methods, which could overcome the limitations of conventional routes and become enabling technologies for the second correlative nanoscopy revolution. The proposed 'Emerging nanoscopy for single entity characterisation (ENSIGN)' project is such a novel approach, which seeks to develop a transformational, integrated approach for single entity imaging and characterisation. ENSIGN will develop and combine high speed force, electrical, and microwave nanoscopy with optical and electron nanoscopy, to provide a quantitative, simultaneous multiparameter measurement, high speed and cost-effective beyond state-of-the-art capabilities for next generation single entity imaging, electrochemistry, mechanobiology and biomechanics. The developed nanoscopy will have unprecedented high resolution, multi-modal and multi-dimensional simultaneous imaging capabilities and be quantitative, fast and non-invasive. The obtained advanced technique will form a cornerstone for the advancement of cell biology, nanomaterials, and next generation battery, and thus keep Europe's leading position in the world for potential major scientific and technological breakthroughs in these research areas.