Researchers figure out why gold nanoparticles can penetrate cell walls
Thursday, August 22, 2013 - 13:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Cells are very good at protecting their precious contents—and as a result, it's very difficult to penetrate their membrane walls to deliver drugs, nutrients or biosensors without damaging or destroying the cell. One effective way of doing so, discovered in 2008, is to use nanoparticles of pure gold, coated with a thin layer of a special polymer. But nobody knew exactly why this combination worked so well, or how it made it through the cell wall.