Microscopy & Microtechniques 75


Cryo Stage Helps in the Development of New Cryoprotectants for Biological Storage


Dr Matthew Gibson is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick where he leads a diverse research team. His research is focused at the interfaces of Organic and Polymer Chemistries with the Life Sciences.


One particular area of research is the design and synthesis of antifreeze (glyco)protein (AFP) mimics. AFPs are found in a range of species which can survive in extreme cold temperatures by preventing, or slowing the rate of ice growth. This growth of ice is also a major problem in the cryopreservation of donor cells and tissue for transplantation. The best technologies currently available involve adding large amounts of organic solvent to the cells which is obviously not ideal for future transplantation. If the group can improve the storage of cells it could really improve the scope for regenerative medicine procedures. Dr Gibson and his colleagues are seeking to make synthetic polymers, which mimic the function of AFPs, and have had some success at this recently.


Dr Gibson’s group uses the Linkam BCS196 cryobiology stage to assist with research into antifreeze proteins, with the aim of producing novel cryoprotectants for biological storage. He describes why he chose the Linkam stage and the results it has helped to produce:


“To measure antifreeze function, we needed to use a stable, temperature controlled cryo-stage for our microscopes, to enable us to measure ice crystal growth. The Linkam BCS196 cryobiology stage gives us good temperature control and the ability to carefully increase or decrease the temperature as needed. In our recent studies we have focussed on identifi ed new ‘motifs’ (structural features) which have AFP-like function, even though they do not ‘look like’ AFPs. Whilst there are very good methods for doing this, they are rather slow and we wanted to see if we can start to use more high-throughput or rapid methods to screen for activity quickly. In this paper we use gold nanoparticle aggregation as a marker for AFP-like activity and we were happy to see that for our polymers, it was quite predictive. We will be testing it with a wider range of compounds in the future as a route to identify new AFP mimetic materials which can then be studied in more detail for both activity and cryopreservation.”


37181pr@reply-direct.com 5706ad@reply-direct.com


AFM System Demonstrates Multiple uses in the Smart Interfaces in Environmental Nanotechnology Group


Dr Rosa M Espinosa-Marzal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The central theme of her research group, Smart Interfaces in Environmental Nanotechnology (SIEN), is to design, synthesise, characterise and develop a fundamental understanding of bioinspired materials and of (bio) interfaces, also under nanoconfi nement. AFM, is a vital tool for these studies.


Speaking about her group and their experiences since the starting of their use of the JPK NanoWizard®


AFM system,


Dr Espinosa-Marzal said: “My team of researchers is looking at a broad range of materials which require imaging in fl uids to a high level resolution. The ability to measure low noise, high resolution force curves is of particular value as is the capability of working in liquid environments without the fear of damaging the piezo or sample.”


In one project which is setting out to understand the structure of water at the interface with 2D materials such as graphene, the biggest challenge is to make high resolution, force spectroscopy measurements. Operating in liquid the NanoWizard® has produced high resolution phase images in AC mode that reveal the contamination on the graphene surface. Ultimately, the group hopes to study the layering of water molecules and ions on the graphene surface, which can be used as a possible interface for water purifi cation.


Imaging soft structures in aqueous environments is the challenge of the researchers developing model cell membranes. These require a low noise system to both image and perform nanomechanical characterisation with QI™ mode of individual layers and the complete stratifi ed structure.


In a biofi lm study, one researcher is looking to understand the precipitation of calcite in biofi lms found in drinking water distribution systems. Here, colloidal AFM probes are applied to make surface force measurements on heterogeneous soft composites. These are used to determine mechanical forces of the fi lms including adhesion and detachment forces. The combination of AFM with an inverted microscope has been invaluable here using JPK’s patented Direct Overlay™ feature to identify appropriate areas to image and ultimately to generate force maps which allow the understanding of the spatial variability of the mechanical properties for mineralised and non-mineralised samples.


Other projects include the study of biomineralisation and how ionic liquids respond to nanoscale confi nement and to surface heterogeneities.


37467pr@reply-direct.com


Interested in publishing a Technical Article?


WWW.LABMATE-ONLINE.COM


New Portable Polarising Microscope Introduced


Phenom ProX World’s fastest electron microscope


phenom-world.com


This new microscope design will enable research-grade analysis outside the laboratory. Developed after years of applied research, and tests of nearly every available fi eld microscope, it was devised to be portable, but still ergonomically convenient and not too small to allow convenient operation. As opposed to most other fi eld microscopes it complies with modern standards, being binocular and having modern high quality optics. Still, it is self-sustained with the special LED illumination supplying bright white light and over 20 hours of work on the three AAA batteries. It is also highly versatile to allow different applications such as polarisation and phase contrast. Last, it is very reasonably priced for what it offers, as opposed to any past effective fi eld microscope.


Polarising microscopes are used in the study of thin sections of minerals and rocks as well as other anisotropic materials (fi bres, plastics, etc.). The optical system is similar to that of other modern compound microscopes but it is equipped with additional appliances. The most distinctive features are the polariser and analyser, rotatable stage and accessory fi lters. This special equipment allows the evaluation of properties and characteristics of materials that cannot be measured by other microscopical methods.


36714pr@reply-direct.com


Contact Gwyneth on +44 (0)1727 855574


or email: gwyneth@intlabmate.com Our articles are read by over 72,000 readers in print, online and via our Mobile App.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84