Visit to LaSIE (April 2008): initiating an international collaboration to develop laser sources for spatially-localised, deep-tissue photostimulation

光刺激是将光应用于活的生物细胞，以便通过改变它们的化学性质来改变它们的行为。这可能涉及将化学物质应用于样品，例如笼状分子，然后使用光打开笼子以引发反应，或者通过激发细胞内已经存在的化学物质的反应。后一种方法最常见的用途是激活光敏蛋白，如视紫红质，然后可以激发表达视蛋白的细胞。最近，科学仪器和工程实验室的研究人员使用激光源刺激其他生物过程，如活细胞中的钙波。然而，LaSIE的研究人员目前使用的激光系统只允许在活的、解离的细胞中进行空间精确的光刺激，而不能在厚的生物组织中进行。激光技术的发展，允许三维控制的光刺激区域内的厚组织样本的深度将大大扩展这种技术的能力，在体内光刺激的长期潜力的深度。这种方法将与当前的生物成像技术兼容，将提供一种新的方法，以比目前可能的侵入性更小的方式研究细胞的基本特性及其行为。Gail McConnell博士和Elric Esposito先生的海外访问计划计划合作研究项目，以开发专用于空间定位的深层组织光刺激的激光技术。这将涉及更多地了解与LaSIE研究人员的活细胞光刺激相关的实用技术，以及探索合作资助机会来开展该项目。这是打算埃斯波西托先生将在生物光子学中心执行该项目作为指定的博士后研究员，与尼古拉斯·史密斯博士在Lasie作为项目合作伙伴和我们的预期访问主机的合作支持。

Photostimulation is the application of light to living biological cells in order to alter their behaviour by modifying their chemical properties. This can involve applying chemicals to the sample such as caged molecules and then using light to open the cage to invoke a reaction or by instigating a response in chemicals already present within the cells. The most common use of the latter method is in the activation of a light-sensitive protein such as rhodopsin, which can then excite the cell expressing the opsin. Recently, researchers at the Laboratory for Scientific Instrumentation and Engineering have used laser sources to stimulate other biological processes such as calcium waves in live cells. However, the laser systems currently used by researchers at LaSIE for this procedure only permits spatially precise photostimulation in live, dissociated cells and not in thick biological tissue. The development of laser technology to allow three-dimensional control over the photostimulated region deep within thick tissue samples would greatly extend the capability of this technique, with the longer-term potential of in vivo photostimulation at depth. This approach, which would be compatabile with current bio-imaging techniques, would offer a new method to study fundamental properties of cells and their behaviour in a less invasive manner than is currently possible. The overseas visit of Dr Gail McConnell and Mr Elric Esposito is proposed to plan a collaborative research project to develop laser technology dedicated to spatially-localised, deep-tissue photostimulation. This would involve learning more about the practical techniques associated with photostimulation of live cells from researchers at LaSIE and the exploration of collaborative funding opportunities to pursue this project. It is intended that Mr Esposito would perform the project at the Centre for Biophotonics as the appointed post-doctoral research fellow, with collaborative support from Dr Nicholas Smith at LaSIE as the project partner and the host of our intended visit.