Scientists find nanotech method for examining cells

Madison, Wis. — A team of engineers and biologists has come up with a way of investigating how cells work by mixing them with very small crystals and measuring their changing response to electricity.

The crystals, sometimes known as quantum dots, are tiny – on the order of a handful of molecules.

Researchers, including University of Wisconsin-Madison professors Dan van der Weide and Robert Blick, found they could open new electrical channels in imitation cell-like structures by mixing them with the crystals and applying electricity.

They believe that the technique could be used to measure the functioning of electrically excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells.

• Read the UW-Madison news release, which goes further into the technical details. The research was published recently in Applied Physics Letters.