{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]],"date-time":"2026-04-11T09:21:30Z","timestamp":1775899290115,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,18]],"date-time":"2023-01-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1674000000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation","award":["CONCEPT\/0521\/0069"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CONCEPT\/0521\/0069"]}]},{"name":"\u201c3D NANOBIOSAMPLES (3D Characterisation Of The Nanomechanical Properties Of Biological Samples)\u201d","award":["CONCEPT\/0521\/0069"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CONCEPT\/0521\/0069"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nanomaterials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool enabling the mechanical characterization of biological materials at the nanoscale. Since biological materials are highly heterogeneous, their mechanical characterization is still considered to be a challenging procedure. In this paper, a new approach that leads to a 3-dimensional (3D) nanomechanical characterization is presented based on the average Young\u2019s modulus and the AFM indentation method. The proposed method can contribute to the clarification of the variability of the mechanical properties of biological samples in the 3-dimensional space (variability at the x\u2013y plane and depth-dependent behavior). The method was applied to agarose gels, fibroblasts, and breast cancer cells. Moreover, new mathematical methods towards a quantitative mechanical characterization are also proposed. The presented approach is a step forward to a more accurate and complete characterization of biological materials and could contribute to an accurate user-independent diagnosis of various diseases such as cancer in the future.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nano13030395","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]],"date-time":"2023-01-19T03:45:16Z","timestamp":1674099916000},"page":"395","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["3D AFM Nanomechanical Characterization of Biological Materials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4843-1208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stylianos Vasileios","family":"Kontomaris","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"BioNanoTec Ltd., 2043 Nicosia, Cyprus"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Metropolitan College, 15125 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1641-1854","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas","family":"Stylianou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, 2404 Nicosia, Cyprus"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anastasios","family":"Georgakopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2695-2435","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Malamou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8452851","DOI":"10.1155\/2019\/8452851","article-title":"Atomic Force Microscopy on Biological Materials Related to Pathological Conditions","volume":"2019","author":"Stylianou","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scanning"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1002\/sca.21185","article-title":"The effects of UV irradiation on collagen D-band revealed by atomic force microscopy","volume":"37","author":"Kontomaris","year":"2015","journal-title":"Scanning"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103228","DOI":"10.1016\/j.micron.2022.103228","article-title":"The Hertzian theory in AFM nanoindentation experiments regarding biological samples: Overcoming limitations in data processing","volume":"155","author":"Kontomaris","year":"2022","journal-title":"Micron"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20930","DOI":"10.1039\/C8NR06146G","article-title":"AFM assessing of nanomechanical fingerprints for cancer early diagnosis and classification: From single cell to tissue level","volume":"10","author":"Stylianou","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nanoscale"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"691","DOI":"10.1038\/nnano.2012.196","article-title":"Atomic force microscopy: A tip for diagnosing cancer","volume":"7","author":"Lekka","year":"2012","journal-title":"Nat. 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