Overview
- The ViViD-AFM method merges atomic force microscopy with confocal fluorescence to capture high-resolution dynamics on living cell membranes.
- Footage shows influenza particles surfing along receptors until they reach densely clustered sites that enable efficient uptake.
- Cells actively aid entry by drawing clathrin to the attachment point as the membrane bulges upward to engulf the virus into a vesicle.
- The team reports that previous tools either destroyed cells for static snapshots or lacked the spatial detail needed for live visualization.
- The Swiss–Japanese group led by ETH Zurich’s Yohei Yamauchi published the work in PNAS and says the approach could help test antivirals and study other pathogens in cell cultures.