Chemical Characterization of Single Cells and Single Molecules

摘要

Advances in sensitive optical measurement schemes have led to the detection and the physical and chemical characterization of single biological cells and individual molecules. These technological achievements are much more than the ultimate milestone in low-level monitoring. Potential applications include DNA sequencing at high speeds, probing microscale enviroments, monitoring environmental pollution, studying the variability of molecular conformations, detecting disease infection at an early stage, and devising molecular-scale imaging probes.