There are natural limits to resolution: spots that are less than about 300 nm apart cannot be displayed separately using a conventional light-optical microscope. Electron-beam, scanning-probe and X-ray microscopes deliver better results, but their high-energy radiation and the vacuum generated in the ray path destroy biological substances and are not suitable for examining three-dimensional structures. Stefan Hell has succeeded in increasing the spatial resolution to within 30 nm through a skilled combination of methods using light-optical microscopes.

In a mixing of pasta metaphors, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists have used electrostatic attraction to layer reactive biological molecules lasagna-like around spaghetti-like carbon nanotubes. The configuration can accommodate a wide range of applications, from ultra-precise blood-sugar monitoring to infectious-agent detection, said Yuehe Lin, who led the research at the Department of Energy campus’ W.R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.

There is little doubt that early detection of cancer is one of the keys to achieving a positive outcome for cancer therapy, and many cancer researchers believe that nanotechnology will play a critical role in improving oncologist’s ability to find cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. Now, two groups of investigators have in fact developed nanoscale devices that with further refinement could lead to more sensitive diagnostic assays for early-stage cancer.