Atomic force microscope and -spectroscope with bio-measurement head

申请人希望申请一台带有生物测量头的最新一代原子力显微镜和分光镜（以下简称AFM），用于测定活体微生物（细菌、真菌、寄生虫）在临床相关的生物和非生物表面上的初始粘附过程。新AFM将在安全等级2的基因工程设施（以下简称S2 geng实验室）中建立，应使用将在尽可能接近真实感染事件的条件下精确记录危险组2的致病微生物的力-距离曲线。与我们目前使用的AFM相比（现在已有14年历史），新仪器将具有显着改进的信噪比，更快的成像特性和大大扩展的z范围（在垂直轴上控制运动的可能性）。我们的研究将特别侧重于微生物与临床实践中常用的植入物的相互作用，如长期导管、牙科植入物和支架（与血浆或唾液等体液结合，或从患者身上移植的植入物）以及与人类单细胞、细胞培养物、类器官和组织样本的相互作用。此外，我们希望利用这种新设备生成真核细胞（癌症细胞和免疫细胞）和组织切片的弹性谱，表征黑色素瘤细胞的膜-皮质交联，并首次通过原子力显微镜对十二指肠贾第虫黏附细胞器的表面形貌进行成像。

The applicants wish to apply for a latest generation atomic force microscope and spectroscope (hereafter abbreviated as AFM) with bio-measurement head to determine the initial adhesion processes of living microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites) on clinically relevant, biotic and abiotic, surfaces. The new AFM, which is to be set up in a genetic engineering facility of safety level 2 (hereafter abbreviated as S2 GenTG laboratory), shall be used to record precise force-distance curves of pathogenic microorganisms of risk group 2 under conditions that come as close as possible to real infection events. Compared to our AFM currently in use (which is now 14 years old), the new instrument will have a significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio, faster imaging properties and a greatly extended z-range (possibility of controlled movement in the vertical axis). Our research will focus in particular on the interaction of microorganisms with implants commonly used in clinical practice such as long-term catheters, dental implants and stents (in combination with body fluids such as blood plasma or saliva, or implants explanted from patients) as well as with human single cells, cell cultures, organoids and tissue samples. Furthermore, we would like to use the new device to generate elasticity profiles of eukaryotic cells (cancer and immune cells) and tissue sections, to characterize membrane-to-cortex cross-linking of melanoma cells, and - for the first time - to image the surface topography of the adhesive organelle of the parasite Giardia duodenales by atomic force microscopy.