In the world of microscopy, this advance is almost comparable to the leap from photography to live television. Two young EPFL researchers, Yann Cotte and Fatih Toy, have designed a device that combines holographic microscopy and computational image processing to observe living biological tissues at the nanoscale. Their research is being done under the supervision of Christian Depeursinge, head of the Microvision and Microdiagnostics Group in EPFL's School of Engineering.
Using their setup, three-dimensional images of living cells can be obtained in just a few minutes instantaneous operation is still in the works at an incredibly precise resolution of less than 100 nanometers, 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. And because they're able to do this without using contrast dyes or fluorescents, the experimental results don't run the risk of being distorted by the presence of foreign substances.
Being able to capture a living cell from every angle like this lays the groundwork for a whole new field of investigation. "We can observe in real time the reaction of a cell that is subjected to any kind of stimulus," explains Cotte. "This opens up all kinds of new opportunities, such as studying the effects of pharmaceutical substances at the scale of the individual cell, for example."
Watching a neuron grow
This month in Nature Photonics the researchers demonstrate the potential of their method by developing, image by image, the film of a growing neuron and the birth of a synapse, caught over the course of an hour at a rate of one image per minute. This work, which was carried out in collaboration with the Neuroenergetics and cellular dynamics laboratory in EPFL's Brain Mind Institute, directed by Pierre Magistretti, earned them an editorial in the prestigious journal. "Because we used a low-intensity laser, the influence of the light or heat on the cell is minimal," continues Cotte. "Our technique th
'/>"/>
| Contact: Yann Cotte yann.cotte@epfl.ch 41-216-937-012 Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Protecting living fossil trees
2. Global Surgical Devices Market Growth Driven by Improving Standards of Living and Longer Life Expectancies, Research Shows
3. Molecular spectroscopy tracks living mammalian cells in real time as they differentiate
4. Nature: Microscope looks into cells of living fish
5. Living microprocessor tunes in to feedback
6. Photograph of a living human brain is the overall winner of Wellcome Image Awards 2012
7. Penn researchers improve living tissues with 3-D printed vascular networks made from sugar
8. Force of nature: Defining the mechanical mechanisms in living cells
9. A new look at proteins in living cells
10. Living power cables discovered
11. Watching the cogwheels of the biological clock in living cells
 |
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |