Episode 503 - Blending nanotubes and living cells

Carbon nanotubes have amazing mechanical and optical properties, but can they be combined with living cells? Carbon nanotubes can be used to convey light to precise places deep inside cells and tissue. If you blend carbon nanotubes with living cells you can use them to get a precise and stable look inside a cell. Getting a carbon nanotube to be accepted by mammalian cells is easy, but that’s not the case with bacteria. Bacteria are picky, but with the right charge they can bond with a carbon nanotube. Once carbon nanotubes have been absorbed into a cell you can bring light out for imaging, but also carry light in. Carrying light inside a carbon nantoube into bacteria can boost their ability to photosynthesize. Alessandra Antonucci, Melania Reggente, Charlotte Roullier, Alice J. Gillen, Nils Schuergers, Vitalijs Zubkovs, Benjamin P. Lambert, Mohammed Mouhib, Elisabetta Carata, Luciana Dini, Ardemis A. Boghossian. Carbon nanotube uptake in cyanobacteria for near-infrared imaging and enhanced bioelectricity generation in living photovoltaics. Nature Nanotechnology, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01198-x