The newest generation of nano-sized probes should give scientists a look into the secret lives of nuclei within your body, researchers say. The tiny probes, called quantum dots, are a melding of biology and technology. The crystalline semiconductors with a biological protein coating are no larger than a few hundred atoms. Importantly, they shine brilliantly when hit with a laser.Quantum dots are leaps and bounds better than current fluorescent probes, according to developers Fanqing Chen of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Daniele Gerion of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Not only are the dots non-toxic to the cell, but they don’t fade when exposed to light. "The advantage is that they don’t photo-bleach like conventional fluorescent dyes," Chen told LiveScience. The dots can stay in cells for weeks, Chen said, adding that "it looks like the protective coating we put on there is quite good."The tricky part was to get the dots through a nuclear membrane. Part of the solution is just a matter of making them tiny. But nuclear membranes have gate-keeping mechanisms to keep foreign objects out.
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