Bruker Corporation today announced the release of the NanoRacer high-speed AFM system. With an unprecedented imaging speed of 50 frames per second, this sets a new milestone in high-speed scanning capabilities to enable true real-time visualization of dynamic biological processes using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
Developed in close collaboration with leading experts in the field, the NanoRacer also delivers atomic resolution and unmatched user friendliness, and it is expected to provide crucial insights into single-molecule behavior and an in-depth understanding of dynamic processes in biochemistry, molecular biology, and biomedicine.
“So many things are still hidden in biological molecules,” stated Toshio Ando, Professor at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) of Kanazawa University in Japan. “To uncover their unexplored secrets, there is a true need to directly observe individual molecules during their functional activity. As the fastest commercial, high-speed AFM available, the NanoRacer enables this direct observation in real-time. A lot of innovative ideas have been incorporated for easy operation and high performance, and it is my utmost wish that many researchers will use the NanoRacer to make exciting discoveries.”
“The NanoRacer system is the satisfying culmination of a series of Bruker innovations in high-speed AFM,” added Torsten Jähnke, Bruker’s Director of BioAFM. “From both a performance and usability standpoint, we believe the NanoRacer will revolutionize high-end atomic force microscopy for single-molecule applications. Researchers from biochemistry, molecular biology, and molecular medicine now have, for the first time, an AFM tool that enables them to watch molecules at work and understand structure-function relationships in depth.”
About the JPK NanoRacer High-Speed AFM
The NanoRacer system is designed for use with small cantilevers. It can achieve top speeds of 50 frames/sec in fluid, in a 100 nm x 100 nm scan range, and with 10k pixels. Equipped with photothermal cantilever excitation, a new XYZ flexure scanner architecture, and lowest noise positioning sensors in each axis, the NanoRacer sets a new benchmark for high-end research AFM capabilities. Lowest forces and highest resolution, combined with utmost stability, make it a powerhouse for advanced applications and discoveries on the molecular scale. The new system also incorporates JPK’s high-performance Vortis™ 2 controller and intuitive software user interface for superior ease-of-use operation. The fully automated setup capabilities allow researchers to focus on their experiments, making the NanoRacer system perfect for multi-user environments or imaging facilities.