JPK History

Bruker's BioAFM expertise has its roots in the extensive development capabilities of JPK Instruments AG, which joined the Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology division in 2018. JPK was founded in 1999 as a spin-off from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany,  and quickly established itself as a pioneer in the commercial development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical tweezers for life science applications.

Key JPK innovations that set new industry benchmarks include:

• The ability to investigate challenging biological samples (e.g., living cells and tissues) in liquid and under controlled environmental conditions;
• High-speed scanning capabilities that enable the real-time visualization of dynamic molecular mechanisms;
• Multiparametric quantification of nanomechanical properties, such as adhesion and stiffness; and
• The ability to combine BioAFM instruments with advanced optical microscopy techniques, such as confocal and super-resolution microscopy.

JPK's flagship product line, NanoWizard® BioAFMs, launched in 2001 and has remained at the forefront of innovation in biomolecular and cellular imaging. The ForceRobot® and  CellHesion® systems launched in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and specialized on single molecule force and single cell spectroscopy. Finally, the NanoTracker optical tweezers system launched in 2013.

Since 2018, these technologies have been integrated with Bruker's proprietary advances, such as PeakForce Tapping, and worldwide reach to deliver the highest performance commercial BioAFMs avilable today.