Proteins can be easily and sensitively detected by their scattered light
In future, some diseases might be diagnosed earlier and treated more effectively. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen have developed an optical method that makes individual proteins, such as the proteins characteristic of some cancers, visible. Other methods that achieve this only work if the target biomolecules have first been labelled with fluorescent tags; In general, however, that approach is difficult or even impossible. By contrast, with their method, coined iSCAT, the researchers in Erlangen are able to directly detect the scattered light of individual proteins via their shadows. The method could not only make biomedical diagnoses more sensitive, but also provide new insights into fundamental biological processes.