Chemists develop protein-spoofing coating for nanoscale cell probes
April 29, 2004 | Source: KurzweilAI
A UCLA-led team of chemists has developed a unique new coating for nanoparticles that disguises them as proteins.
The nanoparticles (such as quantum dots, which emit specific colors of light) can function as probes that penetrate a cell and detect individual proteins inside. That allows researchers, using a fluorescence microscope and high-sensitivity imaging camera, to track a single protein tagged with a specific fluorescent quantum dot inside a living cell in three dimensions and within a few nanometers of accuracy, creating potential applications in drug development, diagnostic tools, and medications.