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NIST Creates Nanodroplet 'Test Tubes' to Simulate Single-Cell Environments
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created nanodroplet "test tubes," using an electronic switch that causes a micropipette to eject a droplet under 1 micron. These droplets, are then used to simulate a single-cell environment.
NIST studies 'crowding' effect on proteins and biomolecules using nanodroplets.
One reason for the nano-drop test tubes, NIST said, is to study the role that ‘crowding’ plays in the behavior of proteins and other biomolecules – and further, to study these effects under conditions that mimic the living cell.
"By confining individual proteins in nanodroplets of water, researchers can directly observe the dynamics and structural changes of these biomolecules," says physicist Lori Goldner, a coauthor of the paper* published in Langmuir.
NIST's nanodroplets can mimic the crowded environment in cells where the proteins live while providing advantages over other techniques to confine or immobilize proteins for study that may interfere with or damage the protein. This more realistic setting can help researchers study the molecular basis of disease and supply information for developing new pharmaceuticals.
"By confining individual proteins in nanodroplets of water, researchers can directly observe the dynamics and structural changes of these biomolecules," says physicist Lori Goldner, a coauthor of the paper* published in Langmuir.
NIST's nanodroplets can mimic the crowded environment in cells where the proteins live while providing advantages over other techniques to confine or immobilize proteins for study that may interfere with or damage the protein. This more realistic setting can help researchers study the molecular basis of disease and supply information for developing new pharmaceuticals.