How can scientists visualize cellular life with greater precision?

• Highlights
• Salk researchers collaborated with scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine to develop a new class of probes for imaging living cells
• The probes, called visible-spectrum antigen-stabilizable fluorescent nanobodies (VIS-Fbs), generate high-contrast images with minimal disruption to normal cellular activity
• The technology enables more precise investigation of complex biological processes, including cell signaling, development, and disease progression

LA JOLLA—Fluorescent proteins have revolutionized science, enabling researchers to tag and visualize individual molecules in living cells, tissues, and animals. Using these tools, researchers have watched viruses infect cells in real time, observed cellular trash collection, and tracked the signaling that spurs tumor growth.