Biological applications microbeam application

The following discussion provides an overview of several applications selected for their use of (or potential use of) antibodies in combination with a laser microbeam to investigate some aspect of molecular or cellular biology. 

The techniques discussed in this chapter are intended as an overview of how laser microbeams might be used in conjunction with antibodies to address various aspects of molecular and cellular biology. There may be other applications that were not covered, and there will likely be additional approaches developed as laser microbeams become increasingly available. Although microscopes are already a common tool of biological research, lasers are becoming so. With decreases in their size, complexity, and cost, lasers may become a standard accessory to the research microscope. 

This chapter reviews several techniques which combine the use of laser microbeams with antibodies to study molecular and cellular biology. An overview of the basic properties of lasers and their integration with microscopes and computers is provided. Biophysical applications, such as fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to measure molecular mobility and fluorescence resonance energy transfer to measure molecular distances, as well as ablative applications for the selective inactivation of proteins or the selective killing of cells are described. Other techniques, such as optical trapping, that do not rely on the interaction of the laser with the targeting antibody, are also discussed. 

A review appeared on speciation of trace elements using radioanalytical methods . Particle-induced X-ray emission (PKE) combined with X-ray spectrometry affords a sensitive multielement analytical method. An advantage of this radiation method is its capability to combine with microbeam techniques, allowing elemental mapping with 1 pm spatial resolution. Applications of PIXE in biology, medicine, geology, air pollution research, archeology and art have been demonstrated . 

Punshon, T., Jackson, B. P., Lanzirotti, A., Hopkins, W. A., Bertsch, P. M., Burger, J. (2005) Application of synchrotron X-ray microbeam spectroscopy to the determination of metd distribution and specia-tion in biological tissues. Spectrosc Lett, 38, 343-363. 

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