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I. Gebeshuber:
"Bionanotechnology: challenges and opportunities\";
Hauptvortrag: WiNET Conference "Building blocks of life", Hamburg/D (eingeladen); 17.07.2007.

Bionanotechnology - challenges and opportunities

Ille C. Gebeshuber
Institut für Allgemeine Physik, Vienna University of Technology
Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria

www.ille.com
ille@iap.tuwien.ac.at

The development of scanning probe microscopy techniques such as scanning tunnelling and
atomic force microscopy [1,2] boosted research regarding single atoms and single (bio-)
molecules. New microscopy methods not only allow for imaging of (living) surfaces with
unprecedented resolution, but also for the mechanical manipulation of matter on the
nanoscale. A famous example from the 1980s stems from IBM, when 35 single atoms were
used to "write" the company name on an atomically flat surface (see figure).
Current techniques allow for the probing of single biomolecule interactions in real time [3].
Bionanotechnological investigation of such building blocks of life can give valuable insight to
important aspects of the functioning of organisms. However, the phenomenon of life
comprises more than can be learnt from performing microscopy. For a fundamental
understanding and sound specification of life and its laws, global approaches based on, e.g.
emergent properties on the systems level and beyond have to be developed.
References:

[1] G. Binnig, H. Rohrer, Ch. Gerber and E. Weibel (1982) Surface studies by scanning
tunneling microscopy. Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 57-61.
[2] G. Binnig, C.F. Quate and Ch. Gerber (1986) Atomic force microscope. Phys. Rev. Lett.
56, 930-933.
[3] M.B. Viani, L.I. Pietrasanta, J.B. Thompson, A. Chand, I.C. Gebeshuber, J.H. Kindt, M.
Richter, H.G. Hansma and P.K. Hansma (2000) Probing protein-protein interactions in
real time. Nature Structural Biology 7, 644-647.


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