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Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic Force Microscopy

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The AFM Probe
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Updated: Jul 13, 2025

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Living Cells Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Living Cells Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Published on: June 27, 2013

Single-Cell Measurements Using Acoustic Force Spectroscopy (AFS).

Kees-Karel H Taris¹, Douwe Kamsma^1,2, Gijs J L Wuite³

¹LaserLaB Amsterdam and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|October 12, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) uses sound waves to measure single-molecule interactions and cell adhesion. This guide details AFS setup, measurement, and analysis for high-throughput biological studies.

Keywords:

Acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS)Cell adhesion Molecular biophysics Multiplexed single-molecule method

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Published on: July 10, 2019

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Single-molecule biophysics
Cellular mechanics

Background:

Single-molecule force spectroscopy investigates biological molecular interactions.
Acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) utilizes acoustic standing waves for studying single molecules or cells.
AFS offers high experimental throughput, parallel manipulation, and tracking of numerous molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a detailed protocol for setting up, performing, and analyzing acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) measurements.
To enable researchers to accurately determine cell adhesion forces using AFS.
To address the challenges in performing high-quality AFS measurements despite its simple setup.

Main Methods:

Detailed description of the AFS experimental setup and its components.
Step-by-step protocol for conducting AFS measurements on single molecules or cells.
Methodology for analyzing AFS data to extract quantitative information on molecular forces and cell adhesion.

Main Results:

Demonstration of AFS's capability for high-throughput analysis of molecular interactions.
Characterization of the wide range of forces and force loading rates applicable with AFS.
Validation of AFS as a robust technique for measuring cell adhesion.

Conclusions:

AFS is a powerful, versatile, and accessible tool for single-molecule and cellular studies.
The described protocol facilitates the accurate and efficient determination of cell adhesion.
AFS enables detailed investigation of biomechanical properties with high experimental throughput.