2013 Volume 82 Issue 1 Pages 63-67
When an intense infrared femtosecond laser is focused on a cell culture medium under a microscope, shock and stress waves are induced by a local explosion at the laser focal point. Since the impulsive force with these waves is extremely larger than the force produced by optical tweezers, we can realize a strongly enforced cell manipulation with spatial precision comparable to single cell size. We have developed several new methodologies for single cell manipulation and analysis utilizing not only the femtosecond laser ablation of biological tissues and cells but also the femtosecond laser-induced impulsive force loaded on them. In this manuscript, such femtosecond laser processing as an application technology in biology is introduced.
