Single cell adhesion force measurement for viability identification using nanorobotic manipulation system inside ESEM

Cell viability identification is the first step for single cell analysis. In this paper, a novel cell viability identification method was proposed based on the cell adhesion force measurement. Living and dead yeast cell samples were prepared using the stain method. The micro puller for adhesion force measurement was fabricated from atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever by focused ion beam (FIB) etching. The spring constant of the micro puller was calibrated by nano manipulation approach. Cell adhesion force measurement was performed by using the nano robotic manipulation system inside an environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). This system can provide the sample observation and manipulation at nano scale. The adhesion force was calculated according to the deformation of the micro puller. The results showed that the adhesion force of living cells is much larger than that of dead cells. Therefore, cell adhesion force is capable for the cell viability identification task at single cell level.