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A Photodynamic Approach to Study Function of Intracellular Vesicle Rupture

A Photodynamic Approach to Study Function of Intracellular Vesicle Rupture

Published on: March 17, 2023

Intracellular microlasers.

Matjaž Humar¹, Seok Hyun Yun²

¹Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, 65 Landsdowne St. UP-5, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA ; Condensed Matter Department, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Nature Photonics

|September 30, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created microscopic optical lasers inside biological cells using soft and hard microresonators. These cellular lasers can measure internal cell stress and tag thousands of cells for tracking.

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Optical Engineering
Cell Biology

Background:

Optical microresonators are crucial for lasers, nonlinear devices, and sensing.
Their application within biological cells for optical functions is an emerging area.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate optical functions, including lasing, within biological cells using microresonators.
To explore the utility of soft and hard microresonators for intracellular applications.

Main Methods:

Utilized soft (oil/lipid droplets) and hard (polystyrene beads) microresonators supporting whispering-gallery modes (WGM) within cells.
Investigated intracellular laser action and WGM properties in phagocytized beads.

Main Results:

Achieved intracellular lasing using soft oil-droplet microresonators.
Demonstrated that oil-droplet microlasers can measure cytoplasmic stress (~500 pN/μm²) with high sensitivity (20 pN/μm²).
Showcased polystyrene beads as WGMs for efficient, multiplexed cell tagging.

Conclusions:

Microresonators can be effectively used for intracellular optical functions like lasing and sensing.
Cellular lasers offer a novel method for quantifying mechanical forces within cells.
WGM-based microresonators provide a scalable platform for cell labeling and high-throughput analysis.