Future stem cell research could use lasers like syringes

Major breakthroughs in stem cell science and the genetic modification of food could be made possible with a technique that uses lasers like a syringe to inject compounds into cells. 

So is the hope of researchers from the University of St Andrews and University of Dundee involved in a new £1m EPSRC funded project.

The team is working on developing a technology known as photoporation which focuses a laser beam through a microscopic lens onto the outer membrane of a targeted cell.

The cell’s membrane, which under normal circumstances acts as an impermeable barrier to the passage of most molecules, will develop transient pores when hit by highly localised laser beams.

These pores will make it possible for foreign DNA in the surrounding medium to enter before the cell heals itself. Therefore making it possible to genetically modify a range of cells from humans to plants.

Professor Kishan Dholakia and Dr Frank Gunn-Moore from the University of St. Andrews have been working for the last several years on developing the right working parameters for their lasers to ensure the integrity of the cell is maintained.