Biological Cell Lasers

生物细胞激光器

• 批准号: 1505569
• 负责人: Seok (Andy) Yun
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts General Hospital
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1505569&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biological; Cell; Lasers

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.

摘要：非技术：自半个世纪前人类制造的第一个激光器被证明以来，许多类型的激光器被开发出来，对现代科学技术产生了巨大的影响。在医学和生物学中，各种各样的激光已经被采用和应用。例如，激光使医生能够切除病变组织，高精度地密封受损区域，并在特定目标器官中激活药物进行治疗。在所有这些情况下，激光通常被用作与患者分离的设备和仪器。这项研究的目标是发明一种新型的激光，这种激光在生物上是兼容的，并且很容易与生物体和人体相适应。这种生物激光器可以集成到生物系统中，因此有可能提供在生物医学传感和诊断以及治疗中使用激光的新方法。该项目还提供了在威尔曼光电医学中心充满活力和多学科环境中教育和培训研究生和博士后的机会。研究生和本科生将有机会参与该项目，学习如何通过创造力和灵感跨越学科界限，并在该项目的支持下在会议上展示他们的研究成果。这个项目的成果希望能够激励公众，特别是儿童，让他们意识到科学的深远影响和乐趣。技术方面：先前的NSF资助导致了第一个基于单个人体细胞或细菌的生物激光器。该项目将推动该领域的发展到下一个重要水平，有两个具体目标：(1)具有高可控性和高通量的微流控细胞芯片激光器，用于细胞内传感和细胞术；(2)在没有外部腔的组织中操作的独立细胞激光器。该项目将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器件和技术。实验方法是高度跨学科的，因为它汇集了物理和生物科学与工程。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，并指出了一种实现“活激光”的方法，即用生物材料在体内实现放大、共振和泵浦这三个基本要素。本质上具有生物相容性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变革性影响。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使光控治疗和药物激活的新方法成为可能。