Issue 17, 2019

High-speed scanning ion conductance microscopy for sub-second topography imaging of live cells

Abstract

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is an emerging tool for non-invasive and high-resolution topography imaging of live cells. However, the imaging speed of conventional SICM setups is slow, requiring several seconds or even minutes per image, thereby making it difficult to study cellular dynamics. Here, we describe a high-speed SICM (HS-SICM) setup for topography imaging in the hopping mode with a pixel rate of 11.0 kHz, which is 15 times faster than what was reported before. In combination with a “turn step” procedure for rapid pipette retraction, we image the ultra-fast morphodynamics of live human platelets, A6 cells, and U2OS cells at a rate as fast as 0.6 s per frame. The results show that HS-SICM provides a useful platform for investigating the dynamics of cell morphology on a sub-second timescale.

Graphical abstract: High-speed scanning ion conductance microscopy for sub-second topography imaging of live cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Dec 2018
Accepted
06 Apr 2019
First published
13 Apr 2019

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 8579-8587

High-speed scanning ion conductance microscopy for sub-second topography imaging of live cells

S. Simeonov and T. E. Schäffer, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 8579 DOI: 10.1039/C8NR10162K

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