Researchers at Delft University of Technology have shown that designed plasmonic nanoparticles can enhance the fluorescence of voltage-sensitive proteins in living human and other mammalian cells.
These proteins act like tiny lights that change with the electrical voltage across a cell membrane. They can help scientists follow electrical activity, including signals in nerve cells.
The team placed star-shaped nanoantennas close to the proteins. The university’s research record says the particles made the proteins’ fluorescence stronger and increased the speed of their voltage response while the cells remained alive.
The work, published in Advanced Materials, offers another tool for studying how cells communicate and how electrical activity moves through living tissue.
