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Atomic Force Microscopy for Tumor Research at Cell and Molecule Levels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2022

Yitong Qin ,
Wenguang Yang Open the ORCID record for Wenguang Yang [Opens in a new window] ,
Honghui Chu ,
Yan Li ,
Shuxiang Cai ,
Haibo Yu  and
Lianqing Liu
Yitong Qin
Affiliation:
School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Wenguang Yang*
Affiliation:
School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Honghui Chu
Affiliation:
School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Yan Li
Affiliation:
School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Shuxiang Cai
Affiliation:
School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
Haibo Yu
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Lianqing Liu
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
*
*Corresponding author: Wenguang Yang, E-mail: ytu_yangwg@163.com
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Abstract

Tumors have posed a serious threat to human life and health. Researchers can determine whether or not cells are cancerous, whether the cancer cells are invasive or metastatic, and what the effects of drugs are on cancer cells by the physical properties such as hardness, adhesion, and Young's modulus. The atomic force microscope (AFM) has emerged as a key important tool for biomechanics research on tumor cells due to its ability to image and collect force spectroscopy information of biological samples with nano-level spatial resolution and under near-physiological conditions. This article reviews the existing results of the study of cancer cells with AFM. The main foci are the operating principle of AFM and research advances in mechanical property measurement, ultra-microtopography, and molecular recognition of tumor cells, which allows us to outline what we do know it in a systematic way and to summarize and to discuss future directions.

Keywords

atomic force microscopemechanical characteristicsmolecular recognitionultramicrotopography
Type
Review Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , June 2022 , pp. 585 - 602
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Microscopy Society of America

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