The new integrated AFM-optical microscope can assist a wide array of bioscience applications. (Image: Veeco)

Apr. 17, 2007 — Nanoscience instrumentation supplier Veeco Instruments Inc. has finalized a product-collaboration agreement with Leica Microsystems GmbH, manufacturer of optical microscopy systems, to drive biological and nano-medicine research. The initial phase of the collaboration focuses on the integration of Veeco’s BioScope II atomic force microscope (AFM) with Leica’s DMI series of inverted microscopes for new high-resolution imagery.

BioScope II was designed specifically to facilitate advanced bioscience. It enables novel in-situ techniques for measuring biological samples in three dimensions, and, when integrated with Leica’s DMI series of inverted optical (or, at a later step, confocal) microscopes, gives the live cell researcher an intelligent and coded instrument, says Veeco.

The new integrated AFM optical microscope is appropriate for a wide array of cutting-edge bioscience applications, such as spatial identification of protein molecules and cellular structures, investigations of cell response to mechanical stimulation and nano-manipulation, and in-situ pharmacological studies of live cells. By being able to mechanically probe and manipulate cellular samples without complicated preparation, biologists can have a unique view into cell functionality and are able to conduct experiments which were impossible with traditional microscopy techniques.