Emerging nanoscopy for single entity characterisation

在纳米尺度上解释现象的能力使人们对单个实体的结构和机制有了前所未有的精细理解。这给生物医学、生物物理学和生物材料纳米科学领域带来了一个新纪元，从而修正了我们以前关于细胞结构和纳米电子学的概念。这些技术具有巨大的潜力，不仅可以改变我们知识的进步，而且还可以改变诊断/预测方法的发展。然而，我们目前缺乏在这个具有挑战性的维度进行相关成像的能力，同时将纳米级的机械、物理和电学参数与宏观现象直接联系起来。因此，探索创新的测量和成像方法，以克服传统路线的局限性，成为第二次相关纳米革命的使能技术，是及时和重要的。提出的“用于单一实体表征的新兴纳米显微镜(Ensign)”项目就是这样一种新的方法，它寻求开发一种变革性的、集成的单一实体成像和表征方法。Ensign将开发并将高速力、电学和微波纳米技术与光学和电子纳米技术相结合，为下一代单一实体成像、电化学、机械生物学和生物力学提供定量、同步的多参数测量、高速和经济高效的能力。开发的纳米显微镜将具有前所未有的高分辨率、多模式和多维同时成像能力，并具有定量、快速和非侵入性。所获得的先进技术将为细胞生物学、纳米材料和下一代电池的进步奠定基石，从而保持欧洲在这些研究领域潜在的重大科技突破方面的世界领先地位。

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.