Recent advances and biophysical applications of atomic force microscopy in cancer research: An overview

The implementation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in cancer detection investigations has been made possible by new developments. Living cells' physical and chemical characteristics fluctuate anytime their physiological environments are modified. Consequently, such physical and chemical traits may represent intricate biological functions happening within cells. The shape, flexibility, and adhesive characteristics of cells can alter while they are going through the tumorigenesis phase and are driven by environmental factors. In settings that are close to physiological, AFM can carry out surface mapping and ultrastructural characterization of live cells with atomic-level resolution, as well as capturing force spectroscopy data that enables the investigation of the mechanical characteristics of cells. As a result, high resolution studies concerning the structure and mechanical attributes of cancer cells may benefit from the application of AFM. The principles of operation theory, mode of operation, and technical characteristics of AFM are presented in this paper, along with its various applications and future possibilities in cancer studies.