Institute of Solid State Physics
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SS22 WS22 SS23 WS23 SS24 WS24 Guidelines for Master Students
Biological lasers inside live cells and tissues Photonic components integrated into live biological organisms have the potential to enable novel applications including ultrasensitive sensing and new imaging modalities. This perspective has motivated recent efforts in developing lasers that are made, in part or entirety, of biological or biocompatible materials. I will present our recent research on the development of these biological optical components and their applications in the study of biophysical and biochemical processes. Notably, we have for the first time demonstrated a laser completely embedded inside a live human cell. The intracellular lasers can act as very sensitive sensors, enabling us to better understand cellular processes. Each laser within a cell emits light with a slightly different fingerprint which can be used as a barcode to tag millions of cells. Further, by using a deformable droplet laser, we can measure very precisely the forces acting within a single cell. We have also realized that fat cells already contain lipid droplets which work as natural lasers. Finally, lasers and optical waveguides embedded into tissues may enable new diagnostic, treatment and imaging tools in medicine and biology. |
