Femtosecond cellular transfection using a nondiffracting light beam

The ability to permeate selectively the cell membrane and introduce therapeutic agents is a key goal in cell biology. Optical transfection is a powerful methodology but requires exact focusing due to the required two-photon power density. The authors use a Bessel beam that obviates the need to locat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2007-07, Vol.91 (5), p.053902-053902-3
Main Authors: Tsampoula, X., Garcés-Chávez, V., Comrie, M., Stevenson, D. J., Agate, B., Brown, C. T. A., Gunn-Moore, F., Dholakia, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The ability to permeate selectively the cell membrane and introduce therapeutic agents is a key goal in cell biology. Optical transfection is a powerful methodology but requires exact focusing due to the required two-photon power density. The authors use a Bessel beam that obviates the need to locate precisely the cell membrane, permitting two-photon excitation along a line leading to cell transfection. Assuming a minimum efficiency of 20%, the Bessel beam offers transfection at axial distances 20 times greater than that of its Gaussian equivalent. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate cell transfection beyond obstacles due to the self-healing nature of the Bessel beam.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.2766835