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Jen et al,

If methylcellulose hasn't been ruled out, I want to try to clarify a bit.
 There are many different molecular weight formulations of methyl
cellulose, so when describing methods and concentrations it is necessary to
specify the particular type or source of methyl cellulose.  This is what I
did not do when our company patented use of methyl cellulose for
suppressing "non-biological" motion while assaying T-cell motility and
chemotaxis (patent number 06821747); don't try to read this, it's
embarrassing.  But the properties of methyl cellulose may provide just what
you are looking for.  Unlike a gel that returns to liquid when disrupted,
methyl cellulose maintains its viscosity when pipetted. Viscosity can be
adjusted by dilution.  And motion is impeded particularly alongside of
stationary objects, e.g. along the wall or surface of a vessel.

I recommend starting with Sigma's product literature:
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/etc/medialib/docs/Sigma-Aldrich/Product_Information_Sheet/m0262pis.Par.0001.File.tmp/m0262pis.pdf,
for
lack of a better reference at this time.

Good luck.

Al Bahnson
Kairos Instruments, LLC
Pittsburgh PA.
412-735-9983



On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 8:08 PM, Ben Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

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>
> You may also be able to use a sieving matrix such as polyacrylamide or low
> melting point agarose to spatially constrain the molecules.  Depending on
> the pore size they still should rotate freely, but their lateral diffusion
> should be greatly slowed.
>
> If you find something that works, I'd love to know, as I also have a PI
> who needs to slow down the Brownian motion of quantum dots while keeping
> them in an aqueous solution.
>
> -Ben Smith
>
> Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
> Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory
> Research Scientist II
> University of Oklahoma
> Norman, OK 73019
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Voice   405-325-4391
> FAX  405-325-7619
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>
> On 6/28/2013 3:06 PM, Jen Jackson wrote:
>
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>> Thanks for your response.  I would prefer the molecules for the have even
>> more mobility so to test temporal resolution.  But antibodies are a great
>> start- can you recommend any protocol for attaching antibodies to a
>> coverslip (just use poly-d-lysine, or?).
>>
>