Intracellular surgery experiments have been conducted in Japan. BBC News reports on how for “the first time that solid material was inserted into a nucleus of such a small living cell with highly accurate positioning”:
Scientists have performed a delicate surgical operation on a single living cell, using a needle that is just a few billionths of a metre wide.
They claim the procedure could be used to manipulate embryonic stem cells intended for use in medical treatment.
This “nano-needle” was used together with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to penetrate the membrane of a cell to a depth of one or two micrometres.
In the picture above, the nano-needle is seen in yellow as it enters the cell (orange).