Fantastic Voyage

Not this Fantastic Voyage but pretty darn close (although without Raquel Welch it lacks some of the interest...) From ScienceDaily

Nano-Probes Allow An Inside Look At Cell Nuclei
Nanotechnology may be in its infancy, but biologists may soon use it to watch the inner workings of a living cell like never before. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy�s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a way to sneak nano-sized probes inside cell nuclei where they can track life�s fundamental processes, such as DNA repair, for hours on end.

"Our work represents the first time a biologist can image long-term phenomena within the nuclei of living cells," says Fanqing Chen of Berkeley Lab�s Life Sciences Division, who developed the technique with Daniele Gerion of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Their success lies in specially prepared crystalline semiconductors composed of a few hundred or thousand atoms that emit different colors of light when illuminated by a laser. Because these fluorescent probes are stable and nontoxic, they have the ability to remain in a cell�s nucleus � without harming the cell or fading out � much longer than conventional fluorescent labels. This could give biologists a ringside seat to nuclear processes that span several hours or days, such as DNA replication, genomic alterations, and cell cycle control. The long-lived probes may also allow researchers to track the effectiveness of disease-fighting drugs that target these processes.

Very cool -- the techniques these days use dyes but controlling where the dye goes can be a challenge. That plus the lifetime in vitro. Dyes are great for a quick snap of a situation but not good for a long-term study. These people are probably taking very close notice (and sending out some headhunters with very fat wallets)