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Auger architectomics is a scientific technique that allows biologists, working in the field of nano-technology, to slice open the cells of living organisms to view and assess their internal workings. Using argon gas etching to open the cells and an electron microscope to create a three-dimensional view, researchers can harness this technique to track how cells function. This is most importantly used to assess how cells react to medication, for instance in the field of cancer research. It was first discovered in 2010 by Professor Lodewyk Kock and his team working in the biotechnology department at the University of the Free State in South Africa. The technique was adapted from Nano Scanning Auger Microscopy (NanoSAM), a technique used by physical scientists to study the surface structures of metal and inanimate materials such as semi-conductors. Originally designed to observe yeast cells to find out more about how they manufactured the gas that causes bread to rise, the scientists discovered that the process could also be used in observing other living cells. In 2012 the technique was successfully applied to human cell tissue. == History == The project was initiated at the University of the Free State by the Kock group in 1982, with the major inputs and breakthroughs occurring between 2007 and 2012. The initial aim was to explore lipid biochemical routes, which would uncover unique lipids in yeasts, and to develop new taxonomies on the structures of these lipids. This unfolded into the development of the anti-mitochondrial antifungal assay (3A system), where yeast sensors are used to indicate anti-mitochondrial activity in compounds.〔 These compounds, aimed at selectively switching off the mitochondria, therefore, might find application in combating various diseases such as fungal infections and cancer. Auger architectomics, which opens up individual cells to scan them, can be used to assess the effectiveness of such drugs by determining if a single cell can be "powered down" with targeted treatment. Based on the development of the anti-mitochondrial antifungal assay system, the University of the Free State scientists felt there was a need to analyse the system in more detail. As a result, they adapted the Nano Scanning Auger Microscopy, a technique used to scan the properties of metals in physics, to apply it to cells. The result was a combination of auger atom electron physics, electron microscopy, and argon etching.〔 The main challenge in applying the technology to biological material was to invent a sample preparation procedure that would ensure that the atom and 3D structure remained stable while argon nano-etching occurred. During the NanoSAM scanning electron microscope visualisation, an electron beam at 25kV is used instead of the normal 5kV beam. Sample fixation and dehydration methods had to be developed and optimised to fit NanoSAM without creating sample distortions. Dehydration regimes based on alcohol extraction procedures were installed and optimised, while fixation using various fixatives was included. Electron conductivity of samples throughout Argon etching was assured by optimised gold sputtering. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Auger architectomics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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