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Figure 8.9
Fluorescent micrograph of a large CHO cell colony 22 days after cellular
integration with a nanofiber array loaded with a plasmid containing a green fluores-
cent protein (GFP) gene. The fluorescence seen in this image indicates that the CHO
cells are viable and still expressing the GFP gene more than 3 weeks after the initial
transfection with vertically aligned carbon nanofibers.
enzymes. The device in Figure 8.7 is a nanoscale version of the carbon mi-
croelectrode described earlier, and we have demonstrated its functionality as
a probe where only the extreme nanoscale tip of the fiber is electrochemi-
cally active (Figure 8.11) [25]. In combination with the ability to introduce
chemically functionalized nanofibers into cells on a massively parallel basis,
such nanoscale electrodes may provide unique approaches for electronically
monitoring and controlling molecular-scale phenomena within cells.
VACNF arrays may also provide unique approaches to cellular immobiliza-
tion and scaffolding. Because they extend out of the plane of the substrate,
