Scientists have recently learned how to use light to control specific groups of neurons to better understand the operation of the brain, a development that has transformed areas of neuroscience.
Researchers at Princeton University have now applied a similar method to controlling the metabolism, or basic chemical process, of a living cell. In a series of experiments, they used light to control genetically-modified yeast and increase its output of commercially valuable chemicals. The results offer scientists a powerful new tool to probe and understand the inner working of cells.
"This technique allows us to control the metabolism of cells in an unprecedented way," said co-lead researcher José L. Avalos, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and Princeton's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. "It opens the door to controlling metabolism with light."
Tripping the light fantastic. To read more, click here.
To read more, click here.