Single Cell Manipulation Using Femtosecond Laser Induced Shockwave

Abstract

A shockwave induced by focusing an intense femtosecond laser on a culture medium under a microscope was applied to manipulate single bio-cell. Propagation dynamics of the shockwave was investigated by observing the motions of polymer microspheres floating in the culture medium and the force exerted to microspheres by the shockwave was estimated to be in the order of nN. This is over 1000 times larger than that of photon force due to conventional laser trapping and strong enough to manipulate μm-sized biological cells. As a representative application of the method, it was demonstrated that a single animal cell cultured on a plastic substrate was separated individually from the substrate by the shockwave. On the basis of these results, we discuss here a possibility of individual manipulation of adhesive cells.