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Optical micromanipulation and therapy

In parallel with the outstanding advances in microscopy, there have been complementary and key advances in the use of laser light at the cellular scale. Most importantly, there has been the exploitation of the forces of light to both hold, and more recently, sort (pioneered by the applicants) biological material. Additionally light may take a therapeutic role at the cellular scale permitting transfection of cells or controlled ablation. Photonics4Life therefore focuses on advanced optical methods for micromanipulation and therapy.

Examples of joint research projects in Photonics4Life:

• Novel Bioworkstation: Optical trapping meets digital holographic microscopy, dynamic phase contrast microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging. This comprises the development of a new form of microscope workstation where a biomedical researcher may trap and move a sample as well as image:study it with digital holgraphic microscopy ( DHM), dynamic phase contrast microscopy ( DynPCM), and fluorescence fietime imaging (FLIM). The idea will be put into praxis by USTAN, UoM and IMPERIAL.
• Photonic control of nanocontainers to investigate interactions with cells. The approach employed in this project is to overcome current barriers by exploring the possibilities of the manipulation of nanocontainers, their loading by light fields, their interaction with living cells and tissues, and their observation by established and new optical and microscopy methods. This project is aiming at pharmaceutical applications of photonic technologies and is initated by UoM, MESA+ and USTAN.

Contact person(s):

Involved partners:

• University of St Andrews
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• Institute of Photonic Technology
• Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
• ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
• Saratov State University
• University of Muenster
• CNRS Institut d'Optique graduate school