Projektbeschreibung
Intrazelluläre Laser als neues Instrument zur Untersuchung einzelner Zellen
Fluoreszierende Sonden sind derzeit trotz bestimmter Nachteile wie Photobleichen, potenzieller Toxizität und einem breiten Emissionsspektrum, das deren Empfindlichkeit einschränkt, das Instrument der Wahl in Studien an lebenden Zellen. Vor Kurzem wurden Laser im Mikromaßstab in biologische Objekte wie einzelne Zellen integriert, damit die Detektion von Laseremissionen anstelle von Fluoreszenz möglich ist. Dieses EU-finanzierte Projekt zielt auf die Entwicklung intrazellulärer Mikrolaser als Instrument für die Untersuchung der Zelldynamik, Biophysik und Biochemie auf der Ebene einzelner Zellen ab. Da die spektralen Eigenschaften von Laseremissionen während Reisen durch das Milieu stabil sind, könnten intrazelluläre Laser die Lokalisierung und Analyse von Zellen ermöglichen, die tief im Inneren des betreffenden Gewebes eingebettet sind.
Ziel
Recently, micro-sized lasers have been integrated into biological systems including cells and tissues. Currently the most frequently used techniques to study complex processes in live cells employ fluorescent probes. However, fluorescent probes have several disadvantages including photobleaching, sensitivity to environmental factors, potential phototoxicity and broad emission spectrum, which limits their sensitivity, multiplexing ability and imaging capabilities in biological tissues. The transition from detecting laser emission from bio-integrated lasers instead of fluorescence represents a paradigm shift. Due to narrow emission linewidth, high coherence, large intensity and highly nonlinear output from lasers, they open huge opportunities in ultrasensitive sensing, spectral multiplexing and microscopy. The applicant has recently for the first time demonstrated a laser completely embedded inside a live human cell. However, to date it has only been demonstrated that laser light can be generated within the cell, but not how is the laser output coupled to the biophysical and biochemical processes inside cells. The goal of Cell-Lasers is to study these intimate interactions including forces acting within cells, properties of natural cavities in lipid droplets and the intracellular chemical environment. Since the spectral positions of laser lines do not change with propagation through scattering and absorbing media, the cell lasers will enable multiplexed sensing, tracking and localization of cells embedded deep inside tissues. In the long term Cell-Lasers aims to transform the bio-integrated lasers from being a pure scientific curiosity into powerful tool for the study of biophysical and biochemical processes taking place on a single cell level.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet
Schlüsselbegriffe
Programm/Programme
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Finanzierungsplan
ERC-STG - Starting GrantGastgebende Einrichtung
1000 Ljubljana
Slowenien