Imaging cellular function on the nanoscale

Livings cells are based on molecules and assemblies of molecules interacting with each other to form more complex structures and to enable the cell to respond to changes in its environment. To understand how living cells work we need to develop method to initiate these process in a controlled way so we can then follow what happens with a resolution that can visualise the key components.Since cells are soft and responsive one needs a way to do this which does not involve contact and we have developed a method of imaging the cell surface using a nanopipette which senses the cell surface by the reduction in current flowing through its tip. We have recently made a breakthrough in the way we image cells by moving the pipette like a sewing machine over the surface, which allows us to jump over large features which are very common on cells. We now want to exploit this advance to be able to also alter the cell in a controlled way, by either deforming the cell or delivering molecules that will initiate signals inside the cell, to be able to start to relate the cell structure to its function. We will develop a method to map and characterise some of the key structures and molecules on the cell surface. After firstly developing and refining these method on model samples we will then apply them to live cells to demonstrate that imaging function with very high spatial resolution is now possible.