Scientists with Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry have developed a nanowire-based imaging technique by which atomic force microscopy could be used to study biological cells and other soft materials in their natural, liquid environment without tearing apart or deforming the samples. This could provide scientists with the long coveted non-destructive means of dynamically probing soft matter.

Scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry imaged the growth of protein-studded mineral surfaces with unprecedented resolution and provided a glimpse into how living systems engineer key structural materials.

The human RISC-loading complex is a packet of proteins that helps determine the fate of human cells by controlling whether genetic messages – such as “turn cancerous” – are silenced or expressed. Berkeley Lab researchers now know what this critical complex looks like.

Hyper-SAGE boosts remote MRI signals 10,000 times, making it possible to image molecular-sized clinical targets, including lung and other cancers.