Researchers at UCLA have imaged a virus at high enough resolution to essentially "view" its constituent atoms, according to a report in the April 30 edition of the journal Cell. This is the first published report of a biological imaging at such a high resolution.

Using a new technology known as “cryo-electron microscopy” to image the virus at a resolution of 3.3 angstroms the research team captured the moment of cellular infection by a specific non-envelope virus. This opens the way for a wide variety of new biological studies according to Xing Zhang, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, who lead the research team.

 One of the very exciting uses for this technology is the opportunity to create images of biological samples in their native environments, as well as recording their interactions with other biological structures. This will hopefully lead to the engineering of new, virus based medicines that take advantage of the efficiency and compactness of viruses to deliver medications directly to target cells.

It seems to me that there is potential for this technique in histological practice. By imaging infectious viruses or cells at such a resolution, more precise diagnoses could be obtained.