JPK Instruments AG Nanotechnology for the Life Science Sector

Berlin (November 19, 2002) - A tiny tip of a needle is gently scanning an exactly pre-defined area on the surface of a cell. Attached to a barely visible elastic cantilever, the tip picks up any unevenness of the cell. A sharply focussed laser beam is directed at the cantilever from which it is reflected to a photodiode that exactly detects the laser beam's and so the cantilever's movements. A computer then transforms this information into an extraordinarily highly resolved depiction of the cell's surface. At 1,000,000-fold magnification, i.e. at nm-scale - one nm equals one millionth of a mm - one can recognize individual protein domains, tiniest cell protuberances and filaments. Things that so far remained beyond the reach of the 1,000-fold magnification of a light microscope, i.e. at mm scale - one µm equals one thousandth of a mm - now appear sharply and clearly visible on a 3-dimensional image.

The innovative Berlin-based company JPK Instruments which was founded in 1999 is among the first companies worldwide to have implemented and optimized the principle of Atomic Force Microscopy - AFM - for application in the Soft Matter and Life Science sector. By now more than 20 highly skilled members of staff develop and manufacture Atomic Force microscopes and other instruments for nano-biotechnological applications.

The company is also one of the first in the nano-biotechnology sector to receive venture capital, e.g. from the IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, tbg, Innovationsfonds des Landes Berlin and from participation in the programme "Futour" hosted by the Ministry of Economics. The recent market introduction of new and innovative Atomic Force Microscopes together with the necessary periphery already resulted in substantial turnover for the current year. The 4th quarter 2002 and the financial year 2003 are expected to be finished with a surplus - which is almost a novelty amongst young companies in the nanotechnology and Life Sciences sector. JPK Instruments strives to gain the market leadership in the application of Atomic Force Microscopy to the areas Soft Matter and Life Sciences.

Future rounds of financing are envisaged to aid the entry into international markets and the in-house product development. For example, in 2003 JPK Instruments' range of products will be complemented with a Scanning Nearfield Optical Microscope (SNOM) which, in contrast to AFM, will also capture optical properties of the sample alongside its topography, i.e. fluorescence or wave length specific absorption of the sample or even of individual molecules. This is enabled by the special design of the SNOM-tip that passes a laser beam right through it. Hence, it acts like a nano-torch that can light-up individual molecules.

Worldwide, the market for nanotechnology is in a phase of rapid expansion. Already for the year 2001 analysts predicted a gross turnover of more than $54 billion. For Atomic Force Microscopes alone between the years 1995 and 2000 the market has steadily grown from an initial $120 million to more than $180 million. According to current predictions the market for nano-biotechnological applications will be considerably more promising since all processes in the human body are controlled by molecule interactions on nano-scale. It can reasonably be assumed that about one half of all future pharmaceutical products will depend on some kind of nanotechnology - an annual market in excess of $180 billion.

JPK's instruments are the first worldwide to really combine the technology of Atomic Force Microscopy with traditional visible light microscopy in such a manner, that all possible modes of the light microscope are available during the AFM measurement, thus offering a continuous range of magnification for samples from micro to nano scale. This has effectively bridged the gap between the micro and the nano world.

There are however certain current microscopy techniques that already allow magnifications in the nm-range, e.g. scanning electron microscopy - SEM. However, with this technique sample preparation is very laborious and it cannot be applied to living objects. Also 3-dimensional depiction of the sample surface and controlled manipulations at the sample are if at all only possible to a limited degree.

In contrast to this, with JPK's microscopes - the NanoWizardTM AFM and the LightWizardTM SNOM - it is possible to examine a living sample in situ without laborious preparations under the light microscope, identify an area of interest, and to seamlessly scale down to nano-range. As a result not only a topographical profile of the sample's surface is obtained, but also additional information about its mechanical, chemical, or optical properties. A targeted manipulation of individual molecules is also possible.

This opens numerous areas of application ranging from routine food analysis to medical applications, e.g. measurements of the 3-dimensional image of a tumor cell, in virus diagnostics, or in the visualization of the mechanisms of membrane proteins in their natural habitat. Physical properties of bio-molecules like the genetic material (DNA) can easily be examined with JPK's microscopes. The evaluation of the signals at the tip of the cantilever that are caused by adhesion forces of proteins or nucleic acids could offer new clues to structure elucidation of these complex bio-molecules. With this technique it is even possible to measure the speed of rotation of molecular motors within the cell at varying ATP concentrations and to look at receptor ligand interactions on the surface of living cells.

Currently JPK is engaged in several international co-operations developing nano-technique solutions, e.g. for proteomic research and for studies that look into the behaviour of medical drugs during inhalation. Around the globe there are already several renowned scientific institutions that apply this new form of nano-biotechnology in their research programmes.

Naturally, the JPK technology is also applicable to non-living soft matter. Amongst others there are instruments by JPK that will be applied for research into optimum extraction methods for oil (oil sand industries in Alberta, Canada).

The company's know-how derives from the accumulated knowledge of its founders and board members: Torsten Jähnke (physicist), Frank Pelzer (businessman) and Jörn Kamps (physicist). The supporting supervisory board's most prominent member amongst renowned managers and venture capitalists is Prof. Dr. Klaus Ploog, Director of the Paul-Drude-Institute Berlin. Ploog is highly distinguished and between the years 1971 and 1997 he is regarded as one of Germany.s most cited scientists.

Further information: www.jpk.com 

Contact:
JPK Instruments AG
Dr. Gabriela Bagordo
Communication Manager
Bouchéstr. 12
D- 12435 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49-(0)30-5331-12541
Fax.: +49-(0)30-5331-1202
eMail: bagordo@jpk.com 

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