Single gold nanorods in live cells

Single-molecule fluorescence can be used to image the dynamics of a cell. However, this technique has two major limitations: the current fluorescent labels are not optically stable, which means they can only be followed for a fraction of a second, and larger labels hinder the functioning of the cell. A research team under the leadership of Dr. John van Noort (LEI) proposes studying the cells with the aid of gold nanorods. They believe that this will resolve both of the aforementioned problems. The golden rods emit clear optical signals that do not flash or extinguish. And the rods can move throughout the cell without causing any damage, as they are not much bigger than a large protein.

The team is made up of researchers from various departments of the Cell Observatory of Leiden University. Van Noort: "In this project we will combine technical, physical, chemical and biological knowledge. One party knows a lot about spectroscopy, another about cell dynamics, whereas a third party has the chemical expertise needed to construct the gold particles. By consolidating our strengths we can tackle the most relevant challenges in cell biology and biophysics." According to Van Noort the new imaging technique will yield spectacular opportunities for biological physics.