EPFL researchers have used two microscopy methods to see what is happening inside a cell. It will give insight about the cellular processes that happen during an infection.
Cells are the most important component of living organisms. It plays significant role in a number of complex biological phenomena. Scientists needed to understand what happens inside a cell in order to comprehend certain kinds of disorders and diseases and for creating the perfect remedy for those disease.
The EPFL researchers have combined two different microscopies to observe the outside and inside of a cell and also molecular activity.
The scientists have named that method as stochastic optical fluctuation imaging and this can be used to view targeted molecules and phenomena occurring inside cells by using Scanning probe microscopy.
Scanning probe microscopy is used to touch a cell sample to feel its surface with a probe tip and map out its topography. But the EPFL team has developed a microscope where they have used a glass nanopore instead of physical probe which detects the cell surface without contact.
The fluorescence microscopy will give the scientists a chance to peek inside individual cells and ion conductance microscopy will give them the opportunity to generate 3D topographic images of a cell. The EPFL team have successfully invented a method by which they will be able to see interior and exterior of cells at the same time.
The scientists believe that their method will help to better understand cell motility, differentiation and cell-cell communication. This method will also be very useful to understand infection biology, immunology and neurobiology where the observation if a cell is extremely important.
