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The nanoscale characterisation of soft biological surfaces in aqueous environments remains challenging.We have developed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Force Volume measurements to investigate a range of biological materials ranging from purified glycoprotein molecules, native mucous gels, and whole sensor structures in physiological environments.As one example, using lectins such as Maackia Amurensis (MAA) and Sambucus Nigra (SNA) as active probes attached to AFM tips, the ldnetics of receptor ligand bonds showed that lectin unbinding produced a better fit with a two-barrier thermodynamic model suggesting the need for a conformational change, which was not apparent for antibody-antigen unbinding, and revealed details of how the glycoproteins are packaged in the gel state.