A conventional method for cell permeabilization is known as “optoinjection”. The membrane of a biological cell may transiently be permeabilized by tightly focusing the pulse of a nanosecond laser onto the cell membrane. Through the resulting hole in the cell membrane, macromolecules such as DNA or RNA strands from the ambience may be introduced into the cell, for example in order to increase or suppress the production of the green fluorescent protein in the cell.
\nThis optoinjection technique has several disadvantages. First, it is very slow, as it allows the manipulation of a single cell at any given time only. Another disadvantage is the high mortality of the cells treated by the optoinjection technique, due to the high stress exerted on the cells.
\nA conventional tool for the manipulation of cells is a microcapillary or a substrate bearing a plurality of metal nanoparticles. When the tool is subsequently irradiated with an intense nanosecond laser pulse, the nanoparticles absorb the laser radiation and rapidly heat up by several hundred degrees. This superheating leads to the generation of cavitation bubbles which may locally destroy the membrane of a cell in the vicinity of the nanoparticles. But, the formation of cavitation bubbles is a random process which is not entirely predictable.
\nDepending on their size, the cavitation bubbles will put the biological objects in their vicinity under considerable mechanical stress, which may often lead to cell death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A conventional method for cell permeabilization is known as “optoinjection”. The membrane of a biological cell may transiently be permeabilized by tightly focusing the pulse of a nanosecond laser onto the cell membrane. Through the resulting hole in the cell membrane, macromolecules such as DNA or RNA strands from the ambience may be introduced into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ezn-category":[2353,2350,2349],"yoast_head":"\n