Frequency-dependent nanomechanical profiling for medical diagnosis

Santiago D Solares; Alexander X Cartagena-Rivera

doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.122

Frequency-dependent nanomechanical profiling for medical diagnosis

Beilstein J Nanotechnol. 2022 Dec 9:13:1483-1489. doi: 10.3762/bjnano.13.122. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Santiago D Solares¹, Alexander X Cartagena-Rivera²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
² Section on Mechanobiology, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM), developed in the early 1980s, has become a powerful characterization tool in micro- and nanoscale science. In the early 1990s, its relevance within biology and medicine research became evident, although its incorporation into healthcare applications remains relatively limited. Here, we briefly explore the reasons for this low level of technological adoption. We also propose a path forward for the incorporation of frequency-dependent nanomechanical measurements into integrated healthcare strategies that link routine AFM measurements with computer analysis, real-time communication with healthcare providers, and medical databases. This approach would be appropriate for diseases such as cancer, lupus, arteriosclerosis and arthritis, among others, which bring about significant mechanical changes in the affected tissues.

Keywords: atomic force microscopy; healthcare; mechanical properties; mechanobiology; medical diagnosis.