MEASURING ELASTICITY OF BIOLOGICAL-MATERIALS BY ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has proved its value not only for resolv ing the topographical structure of biological samples, but also for pr obing inherent properties of biological structures, like local interac tion forces, mechanical properties or dynamics in a natural (physiolog ical) environment. This minireview focuses on the acquisition of elast icity data of biomaterials by AFM. A possible theoretical model is pre sented, followed by a practical 'how to do it with AFM', and, finally, a brief overview of publications in this field is given, (C) 1998 Fed eration of European Biochemical Societies.