Target trapping and in situ single-cell genetic marker detection with a focused optical beam

Optical trapping of single particles or cells with the capability of in situ bio-sensing or genetic profiling opens the possibility of rapid screening of biological specimens. However, common optical tweezers suffer from the lack of long-range forces. Consequently, their application areas are predominantly limited to target manipulation instead of biological diagnostics. To solve this problem, we herein report an all-in-one approach by combining optical forces and convective drag forces generated through localized optothermal effect for long-range target manipulation. The device consists of a 2D array of gold coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-wells, which are immersed by colloidal particles or cell solution. Upon excitation of a 785-nm laser, the hydrodynamic convective force and optical forces will drag the targets of interest into their designated micro-wells. Moreover, the plasmonic thermal dissipation provides a constant temperature environment for following cell analysis procedures of cell isolation, lysis and isothermal nucleic acid amplification for the detection of genetic markers. With the merits of fabrication simplicity, short sample-to-answer cycle time and the compatibility with optical microscopes, the reported technique offers an attractive and highly versatile approach for on-site single cell analysis systems.