Currently, scan output provide metal mapping data but no protein and cellular context information is provided. We are developing tools for the visualization of organelles and individual proteins that will allow for their visualization by x-ray approaches.
These include development of affinity agents linked to nonendogenous metal tags such as cobalt and cobalamin-binding domains, nano-gold, cadmium/selenium quantum dots, and in collaboration with the Chen group (BIO), metal-filled magnetic viruses. Such tools could act as analogues to organelle-specific and antibody tagged fluorophores already used in optical microscopy.