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。这可能涉及对样本施加化学物质，如笼子分子，然后用光打开笼子以引发反应，或通过激发细胞内已存在的化学物质的反应。后一种方法最常见的用途是激活一种光敏感蛋白，如视紫红质，然后它可以刺激表达视蛋白的细胞。最近，科学仪器和工程实验室的研究人员使用激光光源来刺激活细胞中的其他生物过程，如钙波。然而，LaSIE研究人员目前用于这一过程的激光系统只允许在活的、分离的细胞中进行空间精确的光刺激，而不允许在厚厚的生物组织中进行。激光技术的发展可以三维控制厚组织样本深处的光刺激区域，这将极大地扩展这项技术的能力，具有更长期的体内深度光刺激的潜力。这种方法将与目前的生物成像技术兼容，将提供一种新的方法，以比目前可能的更小的侵入性方式研究细胞的基本属性及其行为。盖尔·麦康奈尔博士和埃里克·埃斯波西托先生的海外访问计划是为了规划一个合作研究项目，以开发致力于空间定位的深层组织光刺激的激光技术。这将涉及从LaSIE的研究人员那里了解更多与光刺激活细胞相关的实用技术，以及探索合作资助机会来开展这一项目。Esposito先生将作为指定的博士后研究员在生物光子学中心执行该项目，LaSIE的Nicholas Smith博士将作为项目合作伙伴和我们计划访问的东道主提供合作支持。

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.