English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Properties of organelles and intracellular structures play important roles in regulating cellular functions, such as gene expression, cell motility and metabolism. The ability to directly interrogate intracellular structures inside a single cell for measurement and manipulation has significant implications in the understanding of subcellular and suborganelle activities, diagnosing diseases, and potentially developing new therapeutic approaches. In the past few decades, a number of technologies have been developed to study single-cell properties. However, methods of measuring intracellular properties and manipulating subcellular structures have been largely underexplored. Due to the even smaller size of intracellular targets and lower signal-to-noise ratio than that in whole-cell studies, the development of tools for intracellular measurement and manipulation is challenging. This paper reviews emerging microsystems and nanoengineered technologies for sensing and quantitative measurement of intracellular properties and for manipulating structures inside a single cell. Recent progress and limitations of these new technologies as well as new discoveries and prospects are discussed. Measuring and manipulating biological processes in the tiny compartments inside a cell is crucial for understanding their function. Much can go wrong if the localization of intracellular events is disturbed: for example, cardiac arrhythmia can arise when electrical currents spread incorrectly among cells in the heart. Yu Sun and colleagues at the University of Toronto, Canada, review emerging methods for conducting precise measurements and manipulation inside cells. They describe tools that comprise a sensor attached to a device outside the cell, such as nanowires for recording electrical activity. They also discuss unattached probes that are delivered into the cell, such as nanoparticles for temperature and pH sensing. The researchers conclude that improvements in the spatial and temporal resolution of these measurements will provide fresh insight into how the intracellular environment affects the health of cells.

Voyage inside the cell: Microsystems and nanoengineering for intracellular measurement and manipulation