There are a variety of methods for cell permeabilization including
microinjection by glass pipettes, electroporation, and biolistics. These
techniques for inserting exogenous DNA offer high throughput, but possess
little or no targeting capability. We use two-photon microscopy to image,
together with femtosecond laser pulses to ablate targeted cells with
sub-micrometer spatial precision. Femtosecond lasers pulses are an ideal
optical scalpel to transiently disrupt a targeted cell membrane for uptake
of membrane-impermeable dyes and DNA plasmids that code for the production
of green fluorescent protein in cell culture. Femtosecond lasers disrupt
targeted structures by depositing energy into the bulk of a microscopic
volume without collateral damage to the cell surface. The aim is to
utilize parameters from our studies in vitro including laser pulse energy,
laser exposure time, and cell viability post optoporation in order to
introduce foreign genetic material into specifically targeted cells in
vivo.
I am currently an undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences with a
concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. This work is being performed
in collaboration with Moonsoo Jin’s Laboratory in the Department of
Biomedical Engineering.
Email: aad43[at]cornell[dot]edu
