Biological Cell Lasers

摘要标题：生物细胞激光器摘要：非技术性：自从半个世纪前人类制造的第一台激光被演示以来，各种类型的激光都得到了发展，并对现代科学技术产生了巨大的影响。在医学和生物领域，各种激光已经被采用并被应用。例如，激光允许医生切除病变组织，高精度地封闭受损区域，并激活特定靶器官中的药物进行治疗。在所有这些情况下，激光通常被用作与患者分开的设备和仪器。这项拟议研究的目标是发明一种新型激光，使其在生物上兼容，并随时服从于活的有机体和人体。这种生物激光可以集成到生物系统中，从而有可能提供将激光用于生物医学传感和诊断以及治疗的新方法。该项目还提供了在韦尔曼光医学中心高度活跃的多学科环境中教育和培训研究生和博士后研究员的机会。研究生和本科生将有机会参与这个项目，学习如何通过创造力和灵感跨越学科之间的界限，并在该项目的支持下在会议上展示他们的研究。这一项目的成果有望激励广大公众，特别是儿童，让他们认识到科学和喜悦的深远影响。技术：之前美国国家科学基金会的资助导致了第一个基于单个人类细胞或细菌的生物激光。这个拟议的项目将把该领域的包络推向下一个重要的水平，有两个具体目标：(1)具有高可控性和高吞吐量的微流控细胞激光芯片，用于细胞内传感和细胞学测量；(2)可在没有外腔的组织中运行的独立细胞激光器。该项目继续探索激光领域的新领域，并展示如何利用细胞激光器的独特特性来开发新的光子设备和技术。实验方法是高度跨学科的，因为它将物理、生物科学和工程学结合在一起。这项工作将增加我们对细胞激光器的设计、操作和应用的理解，并为实现“活激光”指明了一条途径，即所有三个基本要素，即放大、共振和泵浦，都是通过体内的生物材料实现的。这种本质上与生物兼容的细胞激光器有可能对光在生物医学应用中的使用方式产生革命性的影响。例如，组织内和细胞内的激光可能为细胞内传感和用于生物分析和医学诊断的非线性显微镜提供新的可能性。在体内产生激光的能力可能会使光控治疗和药物激活的新方法成为可能。

Abstract Title: Biological cell lasersAbstract: Non-technical: Since the first laser human ever made was demonstrated a half century ago, numerous types of lasers have been developed and made a tremendous impact on modern science and technology. In medicine and biology, various lasers have been adopted and being applied. For example, lasers allow physicians to remove diseased tissues, seal damaged areas with high precision, and activate drugs in specific target organs for treatments. In all these cases, lasers are commonly used as devices and instruments that are separate from the patients. The goal of the proposed research is to invent a new type of laser that is made biologically compatible and readily amenable to living organisms and human body. Such bio-lasers can be integrated into the biological systems and thereby have a potential to offer new ways of using laser light in biomedical sensing and diagnosis, as well as therapy. This project also provides the opportunity to educate and train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the highly vibrant and multidisciplinary environment at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. The graduate students and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to participate in this project, learn how to work across boundaries between disciplines through creativity and inspiration, and present their research in a conference, with support from this project. The outcome of this project is expected to inspire the general public, particularly children, and make them aware of the far-reaching impact and joy of science. Technical: The previous NSF funding led to the first biological laser based on single human cells or bacteria. This proposed project will push the envelop of the field to the next significant level, with two specific aims to develop (1) microfluidic cell laser-on-a-chip with high controllability and high throughput for applications to intracellular sensing and cytometry and (2) stand-alone cell lasers that are operational in tissue without external cavities. This project continues to explore the new territory in the field of laser and show how the unique properties of cell lasers can be harnessed to develop novel photonic devices and technologies. The experimental approach is highly interdisciplinary as it brings together physical and biological sciences and engineering. This work will increase our understanding about the design, operation, and applications of cell lasers, and points to a way to realize "living laser", where all three basic elements, i.e. amplification, resonance, and pumping, are achieved with biological materials in vivo. The intrinsically biocompatible cell laser has the potential to make a transformative impact on the way light is used in biomedical applications. For example, lasing within the tissues and inside the cells may offer new possibilities of intracellular sensing and nonlinear microscopy for biological analysis and medical diagnosis. The ability to generate laser light in vivo may enable new approaches in light-controlled therapy and drug activation.