Carbon nanotube injectors probe living cells without damage

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Left: The CNT nanoinjector tip conjugated with streptavidin-coated quantum dots (inset: larger view of the needle). Right: Quantum dots are shown in red after being injected into a living human HeLa cell (the dark shape is the AFM cantilever). Image ...
Left: The CNT nanoinjector tip, conjugated with streptavidin-coated quantum dots (inset: larger view of the needle). Right: Quantum dots are shown in red after being injected into a living human HeLa cell (the dark shape is the AFM cantilever). Image credit: Xing Chen, et al. ©PNAS 2007.

In order to investigate the processes that go on inside a single human cell—or even specific subcellular compartments—researchers need a device that is small and controlled enough to pass through the delicate cell membrane. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with their needle-like geometry, high elasticity and strength, have recently shown that they’re up to the task.


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