The cell as a whole as well as intra- and extracellular macromolecules and networks are mainly governed by structures and processes on the micrometer to nanometer length scales. In order to study the dynamics and structure of microbiological systems there is a need for observation techniques as well as manipulation methods which act exactly on these length scales. To achieve our aim of imaging the dynamics of biological matter in real-time and in situ, we combine specifically tailored micro- and nanopatterned surfaces and state-of-the-art microfluidics, which mimic physiological conditions, with newly developed high-resolution optical and X-ray imaging methods.
Microfluidic techniques provide the unique advantage of enabling us to measure dynamics in situ and in real-time while manipulating the system on the relevant length scales by geometric confinement, flow fields or gradients.
High-resolution optical and X-ray imaging methods are complementary in the range of spatial resolution. Fluorescence microscopy methods are already very well-established and (with the notable exception for example of STED) only have a resolution down to 200 nm. On the contrary, X-ray microscopy of biological systems and in particular of living organisms could in principle provide spatial resolution down to a few nanometers.