Biological Cell Lasers

摘要标题：生物细胞激光器摘要：非技术性：自从人类发明第一台激光器以来，已有半个世纪的时间，各种类型的激光器被研制出来，并对现代科学技术产生了巨大的影响。在医学和生物学中，各种激光器已被采用和应用。例如，激光允许医生去除病变组织，高精度密封受损区域，并激活特定靶器官中的药物进行治疗。在所有这些情况下，激光通常用作与患者分开的设备和仪器。拟议研究的目标是发明一种新型激光器，使其具有生物相容性，并易于适应生物体和人体。这种生物激光器可以集成到生物系统中，从而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。该项目还提供了机会，教育和培训研究生和博士后研究员在高度充满活力和多学科的环境在韦尔曼中心光医学。研究生和本科生将有机会参加这个项目，学习如何通过创造力和灵感跨越学科之间的界限，并在会议上展示他们的研究，从这个项目的支持。该项目的成果预计将激励公众，特别是儿童，并使他们意识到科学的深远影响和乐趣。美国国家科学基金会（NSF）之前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器。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，有两个具体的目标：（1）开发具有高可控性和高通量的微流体细胞激光芯片，用于细胞内传感和细胞计数，以及（2）在没有外部空腔的组织中运行的独立细胞激光器。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开发新型光子器件和技术。实验方法是高度跨学科的，因为它汇集了物理和生物科学和工程。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，其中所有三个基本要素，即放大，谐振和泵浦，都是在活体生物材料中实现的。这种具有内在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的影响。例如，组织内和细胞内的激光可以为生物分析和医学诊断提供细胞内传感和非线性显微镜的新可能性。在体内产生激光的能力可能使光控治疗和药物活化的新方法成为可能。

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.