Science in a cube: an installation for ultra-precise cell research has been created in the Russian Federation

A new facility has been developed in the Russian Federation that combines two modern methods of substance research.: atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The device allows you to study the properties of materials and cells. Its use will accelerate the creation of biomaterials and make microbiological experiments more accurate. The device was placed in a mini-laboratory, which was previously made at ITMO, and they are already growing cell cultures, creating databases based on experiments, and learning how to develop tissues and organs. For more information about chemical cubes with new devices, see the Izvestia article.

A unique laboratory in Cuba

ITMO scientists, together with the industrial partner Active Photonics LLC, have developed an installation that allows obtaining information about microbiological and cellular experiments with high accuracy without human intervention. The device combines two methods of obtaining information about a substance: atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The installation automatically analyzes the data obtained during the research using the built-in software.

Atomic force microscopy using a nanometer needle allows you to "feel" the surface of a material and build a 3D map of its relief. Raman spectroscopy determines the chemical composition of a substance by how it scatters laser radiation. Usually, two separate devices are used to implement these methods, which is expensive and time—consuming. The combination of these two methods in one installation allows you to simultaneously see the composition and shape of a substance, increases the accuracy and quality of the data obtained and makes it possible to guarantee research in the local area of interest, the developers said.

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The device is housed in a portable chemical cube for conducting experiments with cells and bacteria, a fully automated mini—laboratory that was built at ITMO in 2023. Inside there is a robotic arm that replaces the laboratory assistant and allows you to automate part of the experiments on the installation — this increases the accuracy of experiments, including due to the ability to repeat them many times on an automatic installation.

— Using the device, it is possible to measure the mechanical properties of the cell membrane (stiffness, elasticity and adhesion), conduct its chemical analysis, monitor the quality of cell cultures, and cell interactions with biomaterials. All this helps to study the properties of materials and the features of their modeling, gives an idea of how these materials interact with biological systems. This information is useful when developing materials for biological applications: for example, when creating biocompatible coatings on implants, drug delivery systems, and growing tissues and organs," said Alexey Meshkov, chief project developer and researcher at the ITMO Scientific and Educational Center for Infochemistry.

The system works as follows: a robotic arm installs a tablet reader with samples of a substance (in this case, cells or materials) on a movable platform. With its help, the tablet moves into the scanning area: an atomic force microscope collects information about the topology of the surface, and a spectroscope collects data on the properties of the material and its composition. The information received is analyzed by the firmware, and then scientists receive it.

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Prospects for a new device

The development of ITMO looks like a step towards the future of biotechnological and microbiological research, where high accuracy, automation and multiparametric analysis are needed at the same time. The combination of atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy in one device is, without exaggeration, a technological evolution, the expert of NTI "Helsnet", a biologist, oncologist and bioinformatician, founder of biomedtech startups BioAlg Corp. told Izvestia. and OncoUnite Dmitry Chebanov. Previously, such measurements were made on separate installations, manually combining images and spectra, which was time-consuming and risked out-of-sync.

— Here, everything is combined into one system capable of simultaneously "probing" the surface of cells with nanometer accuracy and determining their chemical composition. This is especially promising in areas such as the development of biomaterials and artificial tissues, cellular engineering and pharmaceuticals, oncology and diagnostics. "Potentially, the device can be adapted to detect chemical differences between healthy and tumor cells in real time," said the specialist.

Automation using a robotic arm is also critical: reproducibility and standardization in biology are an eternal problem, Chebanov emphasized. And here, scientists get the opportunity to repeat experiments with minimal errors, creating large and reliable datasets.

The organization of a full-fledged stationary laboratory is fraught with many limitations and difficulties, including those mediated by the requirements of regulatory documentation, said Olga Kondratenko, Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at SamSMU, expert at the Bionic Engineering in Medicine Competence Center.

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The new materials will be useful in construction, energy, and the oil and gas industry.

— The development of ITMO, a mobile collapsible laboratory, looks very promising. Such a solution can be used as part of the educational process at various levels, both in classes with students and in postgraduate education. It can be integrated both into a laboratory module at specialized departments, and as additional opportunities to expand existing laboratories," she said.

The transparency of the cube allows students and doctors outside the cube to study methods and processes, including through workshops and specialized conferences, the expert emphasized.