Laser capture microscope: an innovative tool for single cell dissection

Increasing strides have recently been made in the understanding of the biologic basis of health and disease, largely because of the current emphasis on investigations directed at a cellular level. This has necessitated the development and use of convenient, accurate and reliable research equipment. While it is not necessitated the need for every researcher or clinician to be fully knowledgeable of all the intricacies of the recent developments in the field of research equipment, basic awareness of new research tools is the critical to the understanding and analysis of results obtained from current studies. The laser capture microscope is one of the most recent research equipment that permits easy dissection and examination of single cells from tissues. This has enabled researchers to carry out specific studies on the behaviour of different cell populations in a tissue sample. This article aims to explain the basic principles of the usage of laser capture microscope for single cell dissection.