Japanese scientists have used nanoneedles attached to an atomic force microscope to penetrate the nucleus of living cells.

The needles could be used to deliver molecules such as nucleic acids, proteins or other chemicals to the nucleus, or maybe even to carry out cell surgery.

The nanoneedles the scientists tested were 200-300 nm in diameter and 6-8 microns long. They were etched from pyramidal silicon AFM tips using focused ion beam etching.