'Nano-needle' operates on cell

Scientists have performed a delicate surgical operation on a single living cell, using a needle that is just a few billionths of a metre wide.

They claim the procedure could be used to manipulate embryonic stem cells intended for use in medical treatment.

This "nano-needle" was used together with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to penetrate the membrane of a cell to a depth of one or two micrometres.

The Japanese team will outline details in a future issue of Nano-Letters.

"The cells used were on the micrometre scale but we adjusted the procedure for the nanometre scale using an AFM," co-author Noriyuki Nakamura told the BBC News website.

In order to manipulate cells, scientists currently use tiny injectors called micro-capillaries to introduce molecules such as proteins, peptides and genetic material into cells.

But the shape of these micro-capillaries and a lack of accuracy in controlling them often results in fatal damage to the cell.

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