In a first, scientists view life processes in 3D through liquid-cell technology

Scientists have developed a new liquid-cell technology that allows them to see living biological materials and systems in three dimensions for the first time under an electron microscope. "With this technology that we developed in collaboration with Protochips, scientists could analyse host-pathogen interactions, see a virus being introduced into a cell and watch molecular mechanisms take place in real-time," said Deb Kelly, a professor at Pennsylvania State University in the US. "The work represents the world's first nanoscale CAT scan in a liquid environment," Kelly said. "We use a copper grid that is coated with a carbon layer and cover that with a silicon nitride chip," said William Dearnaley, the technical director in Kelly's Center for Structural Oncology.