Observing cellular activity, one molecule at a time

Proteins and molecules assemble and disassemble naturally as part of many essential biological processes. It is very difficult to observe these mechanisms, which are often complex and take place at the nanometer scale, far smaller than the normal visible range. At EPFL, however, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has invented and applied a technique that allows these mechanisms to be examined with unprecedented precision. Their work is the subject of a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology.