title: Comparison of scanning ion conductance microscopy with atomic force microscopy for cell imaging.
abstract: We present the first direct comparison of scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) with atomic force microscopy (AFM) for cell imaging. By imaging the same fibroblast or myoblast cell with both technologies in series, we highlight their advantages and disadvantages with respect to cell imaging. The finite imaging force applied to the sample in AFM imaging results in a coupling of mechanical sample properties into the measured sample topography. For soft samples such as cells this leads to artifacts in the measured topography and to elastic deformation, which we demonstrate by imaging whole fixed cells and cell extensions at high resolution. SICM imaging, on the other hand, has a noncontact character and can provide the true topography of soft samples at a comparable resolution.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Staudtstr. 7, Bldg. A3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rheinlaender
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Geisse
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Proksch
authors.forename: Tilman E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Schäffer
mesh_terms: D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D020527:Microscopy, Scanning Probe