Monday, 23rd May 2005 (4515 views)

Boston College researchers have discovered that gold nanoparticles can be made to emit light so strongly that it is possible to observe a single nanoparticle.

It is hoped the findings could be used to see gold track single molecules of a drug in a cell or other biological samples.

Chemistry professor, John T Fourkas, worked with his team to coax the particles to provide strong light emissions using a technique called multiphoton absorption induced luminescence (MAIL).

Professor Fourkas told Medical News Today: "One of the most exciting aspects of this technique is that it paves the way for being able to observe behaviour in living tissues at the single molecule level."

Although molecules normally used in MAIL give limited light and "burn out" quickly, the professor explained that: "Gold particles, however, do not blink or burn out, even after hours of observation, and the brightest ones emit much more light than do molecules. We now have the ability to see single nanoparticles under conditions where people usually look at thousands or millions of stain molecules."

The gold nanoparticles are also beneficial since they have low toxicity, can be prepared easily and can be readily attached to molecules of biological interest.

 

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