Open Force Microscopy for Biology and Biomedicine

The emergence and establishment of mechanobiology has led to a growing demand for the mechanical characterization of biological samples. Moreover, nanomechanical tests for diagnosis and prognosis of diseases are now being applied in clinical trials.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is likely the most versatile, robust, and standardized tool for nanomechanical tests of biological systems. However, commercial AFM systems are expensive, not dedicated to mechanical tests, and difficult to use and customize. To solve these problems, we propose to develop and build an open-source force microscopy prototype: openFMLab.

Built on the instrumentation developed during ERC Consolidator project MechaDynA, the openFMLab system will be affordable, customizable, user-friendly, and dedicated to mechanical tests in biology.

Cost reduction will be assured by using open-source design, hardware and software and a function exclusively dedicated to mechanical measurements.

The development of robust protocols and algorithms for calibration, data acquisition and data processing will provide ease-of-use. Finally, the system will be modular and adaptable to any optical microscope and experimental setup.

During the openFMLab project, we will design, build, implement, and test the system in-house and with external end-users at biology and biomedical laboratories and industrial partners.

We will explore cost reduction and create collaborations to add value to the system and define licensing and knowledge transfer and commercialization strategies. The final goal of openFMLab is to make AFM for nanomechanical testing a common tool in any laboratory.