2019 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 287-290
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has made remarkable progress and has become an essential tool for observing biological materials at microscopic level. However, various complex procedures have precluded observation of living organisms to date. Here, a new method coined the “NanoSuit®” is presented by which living organisms can be observed by an SEM. A simple surface modification to extracellular substances (ECS) of the certain multicellular organisms by electron beams or plasmas can coat of thin polymer membrane made of ECS. The “NanoSuit®” acts as a barrier to the passage of gases and liquids and thus protects the organism. Based on this discovery, we invented the coating method by the “biomimetic ECS” composed of biocompatible substance for the organism which lack the natural ECS. The new “NanoSuit®” methods will be useful for numerous applications, particularly in the life sciences.
