Nanosensor peers inside cell

A new virus-sized probe can look deeper into cells than ever before, and finally allows scientists to monitor intracellular activities without disrupting the cells' external membranes, according to a study published today in Science.

Nano-size transistor penetrates cell membrane Image: Charles Lieber

"This is a paper that can bring breakthrough and revolutionary insight into our understanding of intracellular structures," said linkurl:Zhong Lin Wang,;http://www.nanoscience.gatech.edu/zlwang/ who develops nanotechnologies at the Georgia Institute of Technology but was not involved in the work. The new device is a type of sensor known as a transistor, which detects changes in electrical activity when touching or inserted into a cell. It differs from previous cellular-sized transistors in its unique three-dimensional shape and its tiny size -- smaller than a cell's own microtubules. Additionally, the new probe is coated with a lipid bilayer, which merges with the cell's membrane to allow the tip to penetrate into...