title: Optical transfection using an endoscope-like system.
abstract: Optical transfection is a powerful method for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to biological cells. A tightly focused pulsed laser beam may transiently change the permeability of a cell membrane to facilitate the delivery of foreign genetic material into cells. We report the first realization of an endoscope-like integrated system for optical transfection. An imaging fiber (coherent optical fiber bundle) with ∼ 6000 cores (pixels) embedded in a fiber cladding of ∼ 300 μm in diameter, produces an image circle (area) of ∼ 270 μm diam. This imaging fiber, with an ordered axicon lens array chemically etched at its exit face, is used for the delivery of a femtosecond laser to the cell membrane for optical transfection along with subcellular resolution imaging. A microcapillary-based microfluidic system for localized drug delivery was also combined in this miniature, flexible system. Using this novel system, a plasmid transfection efficiency up to ∼ 72% was obtained for CHO-K1 cells. This endoscope-like system opens a range of exciting applications, in particular, in the targeted in vivo optical microsurgery area.
authors.affiliation: University of St. Andrews, School of Physics & Astronomy, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS United Kingdom. nm210@st-andrews.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gunn-Moore
authors.forename: Kishan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dholakia
mesh_terms: D019723:Endoscopes; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014162:Transfection / Q000295:instrumentation*