Inorganic voltage nanosensors

We have been developing targetable voltage sensing inorganic nanoparticles (vsNPs) that are designed to self-insert into the cell membrane and optically record, non-invasively, action potential on the single-particle level, at multi-sites and in a large field-of-view. Using the first generation of vsNPs, we have measured large quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) shifts as function of voltage (in-vitro, using electrodes). We have recently developed functionalization and membrane insertion schemes for these probes, and have demonstrated, for the first time, membrane voltage sensing with them.