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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Nano-fEM: Protein Localization Using Photo-activated Localization Microscopy and Electron Microscopy
Published on: December 3, 2012
Translating biomolecular recognition into nanomechanics
J Fritz1, M K Baller, H P Lang
1IBM Research, Zurich Research Laboratory, Säumerstrasse 4, CH-8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We report the specific transduction, via surface stress changes, of DNA hybridization and receptor-ligand binding into a direct nanomechanical response of microfabricated cantilevers. Cantilevers in an array were functionalized with a selection of biomolecules. The differential deflection of the cantilevers was found to provide a true molecular recognition signal despite large nonspecific responses of individual cantilevers. Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides shows that a single base mismatch between two 12-mer oligonucleotides is clearly detectable. Similar experiments on protein A-immunoglobulin interactions demonstrate the wide-ranging applicability of nanomechanical transduction to detect biomolecular recognition.
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