Tiny diamonds have been used to track single atoms and molecules inside living cells.

A University of Melbourne team has developed a device that uses nanoscale diamonds to measure the magnetic fields from a living cell’s atoms and molecules, with resolution a million times greater than current magnetic resonance imaging.

Their work, which opens the possibility of improved medicine delivery by tracking molecules inside cells, won the team a 2013 Eureka Prize, as well as a $50,000 Victoria Prize for their leader, Lloyd Hollenberg.

Photo: Lloyd Hollenberg’s team are using a nanodiamond sensor to explore inside a living human cell.

Credit: David Haworth, University of Melbourne