The nanoinjector is only about a millimeter across. Here a bead stands in for the egg cell of a mouse. Credit: FROM “A SELF-RECONFIGURING METAMORPHIC NANOINJECTOR FOR INJECTION INTO MOUSE ZYGOTES,” BY QUENTIN T. ATEN Et Al., In REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS, VOL. 85, NO. 5; MAY 2014
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To insert genes into a cell, scientists often prick it with a tiny glass pipette and inject a solution with the new DNA. The extra liquid and the pipette itself, however, can destroy it: only half of cells that undergo this procedure survive. In place of a pipette, scientists at Brigham Young University have developed a silicon lance. They apply a positive charge to the lance so that the negative-charged DNA sticks. When the device enters a cell, the charge is reversed and the DNA is set free. In the study, 72 percent of nearly 3,000 mouse egg cells survived.
This article was originally published with the title "Hold Still"
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Geoffrey Giller
Geoffrey Giller is a freelance science writer based in Ithaca, N.Y., and a former intern at Scientific American. His work has also appeared in Audubon, Hakai Magazine and The Scientist. You can follow him on Twitter @GeoffreyGiller.
