Images Dated 6th August 2002

Protein research device, SEM

Lab on a chip. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a section through a "lab on a chip", a microfluidic device used for analysing proteins. The chip is a glass body containing a porous polymer filling. The gaps between the polymer can recognise and separate proteins. The chip can be connected to a mass spectrometer, in which proteins separated by the device are analysed. This system is used in proteomics, the study of the structure and function of proteins in an organism. The chip has been devised by Professor Jean Frechet and his team at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Magnification unknown

© VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY