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  • Analyze Cells
    with Park Scanning Probe Microscopy

Brian Choi, Bio-application scientist
For more information, please contact app@parksystems.com
Sample courtesy: Hong-Bae Kim, Seoul National Univ.

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a useful technique to remove cancer cells by applying ultra short electrical pulses directly. IRE creates permanent nanopores on the cell membrane that results to cell death, disrupting the cellular balance. Because of high tissue position selectivity and accessibility, IRE technique has been developing as a new promising cancer treatment tool in clinical studies. However, to date, little is known about its mechanism due to the lack of microscopic technique that can identify the nanopores in the cell membrane, generated by high voltage electrical pulses.

 
  • Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a promising cancer cell removal technique in tissue by applying electrical pulse.
  • SICM is the only microscopy that can identify IRE-generated nanopores on the cell membrane in physiological conditions

 

irreversible-nanopore-detection-on-ags-cellIrreversible Electroporation

In this study, live gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cell was treated with 1 kV electrical pulse in 1 x PBS buffer for 1 ms. After 5 minutes of treatment, the cell was fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and then the cell surface morphology was acquired using scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM) under physiological conditions. SICM detected many pores in the IRE treated AGS cell membrane. The details of the pore shapes are described in the range from micrometer to nanometer.

 

Irreversible Nanopore Detection on AGS cell by SICM

In zoomed-in image of 1.25 micrometer scan size passing the pores, some internal cell organelle features are shown in a few micrometer depth range.

irreversible-nanopore-detection-on-ags-cell-by-sicmConditions:
NX-Bio,SICM
Glass pipette (inner diameter = 100nm)
4% parafomaldehyde in PBS (x1)
SICM Approach-Retract Scanning mode

 

Park Cell Analysis Systems

  park-analyze-cell-nx12-bio park-analyze-cell-nx10 park-analyze-cell-xe7
  Park NX12-Bio Park NX10 Park XE7
Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM)  
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with liquid probe hand
Inverted Optical Microscopy (IOM)    
Live Cell Chamber