This introductory course provides a practical overview of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a versatile tool for studying the morphology and mechanical properties of materials, tissues, and living cells. The course will discuss when AFM is the appropriate experimental choice, the types of biological questions it can address, and the characteristics that cellular samples should have to enable reliable AFM measurements. Practical aspects of sample preparation, probe selection, and experimental design will also be introduced.
The second part of the course will focus on the main AFM-based mechanical characterization techniques. Students will learn the principles of force spectroscopy and how force–distance curves can be used to quantify parameters such as adhesion, stiffness, indentation, and Young's modulus. The course will also introduce microrheology, which enables the investigation of the viscoelastic behavior of cells, and Quantitative Imaging (QI) mode, a force-curve-based imaging technique that acquires a complete force–distance curve at every pixel, allowing the simultaneous reconstruction of cell topography together with spatial maps of mechanical properties while minimizing lateral forces on soft biological samples. Throughout the course, examples will illustrate how these approaches can be applied to investigate living cells under physiological conditions.
The course will be delivered by Valeria Cassina, PhD, and Riccardo Campanile, PhD, from the Università di Milano-Bicocca. The training will start at 9:30 on 16/07/2026 and can be accessed using the following Webex link: https://unimib.webex.com/meet/valeria.cassina
16/07/2026
The course will be delivered by Valeria Cassina, PhD, and Riccardo Campanile, PhD, from the Università di Milano-Bicocca. The training will start at 9:30 on 16/07/2026 and can be accessed using the following Webex link:
https://unimib.webex.com/meet/valeria.cassina