Discovery to aid study of biological structures, molecules
By Purdue University
August 11, 2009
Researchers in the United States and Spain have discovered that a tool widely used in nanoscale imaging works differently in watery environments, a step toward better using the instrument to study biological molecules and structures.
The researchers demonstrated their new understanding of how the instrument - the atomic force microscope - works in water to show detailed properties of a bacterial membrane and a virus called Phi29, said Arvind Raman, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering.
"People using this kind of instrument to study biological structures need to know how it works in the natural watery environments of molecules and how to interpret images," he said.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was conducted at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdue's Discovery Park. The biological membrane images were taken at Purdue, and the virus studies were performed at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
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