Superresolution and correlative microscopy to study cell adhesion on nanopatterned substrates

当细胞附着在表面时，它们形成局部粘连，将细胞与周围环境机械地联系在一起，但也提供了重要的信号。随着超分辨率显微镜的发明，在分子水平上研究参与这些粘连的蛋白质成为可能。在分辨率约为20 nm的情况下，细节上的改进通常是10倍。与此同时，半导体技术使控制模式成为可能，控制模式的精度与蛋白质的大小相似。这为潜在地在分子水平上操纵粘连提供了可能性。这些相互作用可以用超分辨率和扫描电子显微镜(称为相关显微镜)相结合来可视化。该项目将使用先进的显微镜和基因工程细胞来研究一系列纳米颗粒表面的黏附形成。其目的将是将局灶性粘连的形成与设计参数相关联，以期生产用于再生医学的工程材料。

As cells adhere to surfaces, they form focal adhesions which link the cells mechanically to their surroundings but also provide important signalling too. With the invention of superresolution microscopy it has become possible to study the proteins involved in these adhesions at a molecular level. The improvement in detail is typically 10 times with a resolution of about 20 nm. At the same time semiconductor technologies have made it possible to control patterns with a precision similar to the size of the proteins. This opens up the possibilities to potentially manipulate the adhesions at a molecular level. These interactions can be visualised with a combination of superresolution and scanning electron microscopy, known as correlative microscopy. This project will use advanced microscopy and genetically engineered cells to investigate the adhesion formation on a range of nanopatterned surfaces. The aim will be to correlate the formation of the focal adhesions with the design parameters with a view to produce engineered materials for regenerative medicine.