Godlike Productions - News: Breakthrough with light could help viral research

12:36 AM

News

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Breaking News Back

Breakthrough with light could help viral research

PhysOrg.com

2009-10-21

Researchers have developed a method using the force of light to gently trap, manipulate and study tiny, active objects as miniscule as viruses -- opening doors to expanded viral research.

A Canada-Spain research collaboration between University of Victoria engineering professor Dr. Reuven Gordon and Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) group leader Dr. Romain Quidant has developed a new method to gently trap, manipulate and study tiny, active objects as miniscule as viruses without inflicting any damage.

The research was reported this month in the online version of Nature Physics.

Using a new approach to the established technology called “optical trapping,” the team demonstrated that it is possible to use the force of light to hold and manipulate 50 nanometre particles—two thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair—something previously considered impossible.

Since most viruses range from 10 to 300 nanometres in size, scientists hope that this new method of optical trapping will significantly expand viral research.

“The usual approach to optical trapping does not work well at the nanometre scale,” says Gordon, who spent several months at the Barcelona-based ICFO working on this project. “If the particle is made twice as small, a 30 times more powerful laser is required to hold it, meaning that damaging powers are needed for small particles—especially if they are biological particles such as viruses. We have discovered a much gentler way to hold virus-sized particles with a 100 times less power.”

The team, including UVic PhD students Yuanjie Pang and Fatima Eftekhari, conducted their research by directing the light source through a small hole in a metal film that is only a few times as large as the tiny particles they were studying. When the particle gets close to the hole, it changes the flow of the light dramatically. This reaction has a favourable effect on trapping since it amplifies the light force but requires less light power.

“This means, for the first time, it may be possible to trap and study viruses, which is something we have started experimenting with,” says Gordon. “One interesting possibility would be to trap a virus and then bring it close to a living cell to see how they interact. Hopefully this will help us better understand the virus-cell interaction and help stop infection.”

More information: http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphys1422.html

Provided by University of Victoria

Email Article

Discuss in the Forum

Back

Disclaimer:
This website exists for entertainment purposes only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. Moderators on this forum make every effort to review the material posted on this site however, it is not realistically possible for our small staff to manually review each and every one of the more than 10,000 posts GodlikeProductions gets on a daily basis.

The content of post on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of GodlikeProductions. This site may contain adult content and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.

Not all posts on this website are intended as truthful or factual assertion by their authors. Some users of this website are participating in internet role playing, with or without the use of an avatar. NO post on this website should be considered factual information on face value alone. Users are encouraged to USE DISCERNMENT and do their own follow up research while reading and posting on this website. Godlikeproductions.com reserves the right to make changes to, corrections and/or remove entirely at any time posts made on this website without notice. In addition, Godlikeproductions.com disclaims any and all liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of a post on this website.

This site is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. You should not assume that this site is error-free or that it will be suitable for the particular purpose which you have in mind when using it. In no event shall Godlikeproductions.com be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, and on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this site or other documents which are referenced by or linked to this site.

Some events depicted in certain posting and threads on this website may be fictitious and any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental. Some other articles may be based on actual events but which in certain cases incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious.

We do not discriminate against the mentally ill!

Fair Use Notice:
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information please visit:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Please be aware any communications sent complaining about a post on this website may be posted publicly at the discretion of the administration.

This Disclaimer is subject to change at anytime.

Mail Webmaster with questions or comments about this site.

Privacy Policy - Terms Of Use

Copyright 1999-2009 © GodLikeProductions.com

Page generated in 0.002s (1 queries)