The potential of optofluidic biolasers.
Optofluidic biolasers are emerging as a highly sensitive way to measure changes in biological molecules. Biolasers, which incorporate biological material into the gain medium and contain an optical cavity in a fluidic environment, can use the amplification that occurs during laser generation to quantify tiny changes in biological processes in the gain medium. We describe the principle of the optofluidic biolaser, review recent progress and provide our outlooks on potential applications and directions for developing this technology.
Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Xudong
X
Fan
Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Seok-Hyun
SH
Yun
D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D055095:Optics and Photonics