Copper ion is essential for human body. However inappropriate amount of copper ion in body can cause nerve disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Thus, it is important to know the exact amount of necessary copper ion in human body. Former way of measuring the amount of copper ion was inaccurate and was only available for frozen cell. It could also allow toxic materials to enter the cell.
The research team consisted of Prof. Jungho Je (MSE), Junho Lee (MSE Ph.D. integrated), and Prof. Kyong Tai Kim (IBB) developed cell endoscope which interacts with living neuron through light, published in Advanced Materials. The team developed nano-wire probe that reacts with copper ion and changes condition of light. Since it exchanges minute optical signature with cell directly by light, fluorescent material is unnecessary. Prof. Je's team is the first to check the amount of pure copper (II) in living cells.