Superresolution and correlative microscopy to study cell adhesion on nanopatterned substrates

当细胞粘附在表面时，它们形成局灶性粘附，将细胞机械地与周围环境联系起来，同时也提供重要的信号。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附的蛋白质成为可能。细节上的改进通常是10倍，分辨率约为20纳米。与此同时，半导体技术使控制图案的精度与蛋白质的大小相似成为可能。这开辟了在分子水平上操纵粘附的可能性。这些相互作用可以通过超分辨率和扫描电子显微镜（称为相关显微镜）的组合来可视化。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图案表面上的粘附形成。目的是将焦点粘连的形成与设计参数相关联，以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.