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Ni D, Späth M, Klämpfl F, Hohmann M. Properties and Applications of Random Lasers as Emerging Light Sources and Optical Sensors: A Review. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 23:247. [PMID: 36616846 PMCID: PMC9824070 DOI: 10.3390/s23010247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In a random laser (RL), optical feedback arises from multiple scattering instead of conventional mirrors. RLs generate a laser-like emission, and meanwhile take advantage of a simpler and more flexible laser configuration. The applicability of RLs as light sources and optical sensors has been proved. These applications have been extended to the biological field, with tissues as natural scattering materials. Herein, the current state of the RL properties and applications was reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqin Ni
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Moritz Späth
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Florian Klämpfl
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Hohmann
- Institute of Photonic Technologies (LPT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Konrad-Zuse-Straße 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
- Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Paul-Gordan-Straße 6, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
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2
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Shan H, Dai H, Chen X. Monitoring Various Bioactivities at the Molecular, Cellular, Tissue, and Organism Levels via Biological Lasers. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:3149. [PMID: 35590841 PMCID: PMC9102053 DOI: 10.3390/s22093149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The laser is considered one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Biolasers employ high signal-to-noise ratio lasing emission rather than regular fluorescence as the sensing signal, directional out-coupling of lasing and excellent biocompatibility. Meanwhile, biolasers can also be micro-sized or smaller lasers with embedded/integrated biological materials. This article presents the progress in biolasers, focusing on the work done over the past years, including the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organism levels. Furthermore, biolasers have been utilized and explored for broad applications in biosensing, labeling, tracking, bioimaging, and biomedical development due to a number of unique advantages. Finally, we provide the possible directions of biolasers and their applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongrui Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (H.S.); (H.D.)
| | - Hailang Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (H.S.); (H.D.)
| | - Xianfeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (H.S.); (H.D.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Light Manipulations and Applications, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
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3
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Prasetyanto EA, Wasisto HS, Septiadi D. Cellular lasers for cell imaging and biosensing. Acta Biomater 2022; 143:39-51. [PMID: 35314365 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The possibility to produce laser action involving biomaterials, in particular (single) biological cells, has fostered the development of cellular lasers as a novel approach in biophotonics. In this respect, cells that are engineered to carry gain medium (e.g., fluorescent dyes or proteins) are placed inside an optical cavity (i.e., typically a sandwich of highly reflective mirrors), allowing the generation of stimulated emission upon sufficient optical pumping. In another scenario, micron-sized optical resonators supporting whispering-gallery mode (WGM) or semiconductor-based laser probes can be internalized by the cells and support light amplification. This review summarizes the recent advances in the fields of biolasers and cellular lasers, and most importantly, highlights their potential applications in the fields of in vitro and in vivo cell imaging and analysis. They include biosensing (e.g., in vitro detection of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration), cancer cell imaging, laser-emission-based microscope, cell tracking, cell distinction study, and tissue contraction monitoring in zebrafish. Lastly, several fundamental issues in developing cellular lasers including laser probe fabrication, biocompatibility of the system, and alteration of local refractive index of optical cavities due to protein absorption or probe aggregation are described. Cellular lasers are foreseen as a promising tool to study numerous biological and biophysical phenomena. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Biolasers are generation of laser involving biological materials. Biomaterials, including single cells, can be engineered to incorporate laser probes or fluorescent proteins or fluorophores, and the resulting light emission can be coupled to optical resonator, allowing generation of cellular laser emission upon optical pumping. Unlike fluorescence, this stimulated emission is very sensitive and is capable of detecting small alterations in the optical property of the cells and their environment. In this review, recent development and applications of cellular lasers in the fields of in vitro and in vivo cell imaging, cell tracking, biosensing, and cell/tissue analysis are highlighted. Several challenges in developing cellular lasers including probe fabrication and biocompatibility as well as alteration of cellular environment are explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eko Adi Prasetyanto
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jl. Pluit Raya 2, Jakarta 14440, Indonesia
| | | | - Dedy Septiadi
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland.
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Han K, Sun M, Zhang J, Fu W, Hu R, Liu D, Liu W. Large-scale investigation of single cell activities and response dynamics in a microarray chip with a microfluidics-fabricated microporous membrane. Analyst 2021; 146:4303-4313. [PMID: 34105525 DOI: 10.1039/d1an00784j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Microengineering technology involving microfabrication, micropatterning and microfluidics enables promising advances in single cell manipulation and analysis. Herein, we describe a parallel, large-scale, and temporal investigation of diverse single cell activities and response dynamics using a facile-assembled microwell array chip with a microfluidics-molded microporous membrane. We demonstrated that the versatility with respect to geometrical homogeneity and diversity of microporous membrane fabrication, as well as the stability, repeatability, and reproducibility rely on the well-improved molding. Serial and practical operations including controllable single cell trapping, array-like culture or chemical stimulation, and temporal monitoring can be smoothly completed in the chip. We confirmed that the microwell array chip allowed an efficient construction of a single cell array. Using the cell array, on-chip detection of single cell behaviours under various culture and drug therapy conditions to explore phenotypic heterogeneity was achieved in massive and dynamic manners. These achievements provide a facile and reliable methodology for fabricating microporous membranes with precise control and for developing universal microplatforms to perform robust manipulation and versatile analysis of single cells. This work also offers an insight into the development of easy to fabricate/use and market-oriented microsystems for single cell research, pharmaceutical development, and high-throughput screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Han
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.
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Pan T, Lu D, Xin H, Li B. Biophotonic probes for bio-detection and imaging. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2021; 10:124. [PMID: 34108445 PMCID: PMC8190087 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-021-00561-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The rapid development of biophotonics and biomedical sciences makes a high demand on photonic structures to be interfaced with biological systems that are capable of manipulating light at small scales for sensitive detection of biological signals and precise imaging of cellular structures. However, conventional photonic structures based on artificial materials (either inorganic or toxic organic) inevitably show incompatibility and invasiveness when interfacing with biological systems. The design of biophotonic probes from the abundant natural materials, particularly biological entities such as virus, cells and tissues, with the capability of multifunctional light manipulation at target sites greatly increases the biocompatibility and minimizes the invasiveness to biological microenvironment. In this review, advances in biophotonic probes for bio-detection and imaging are reviewed. We emphatically and systematically describe biological entities-based photonic probes that offer appropriate optical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability with different optical functions from light generation, to light transportation and light modulation. Three representative biophotonic probes, i.e., biological lasers, cell-based biophotonic waveguides and bio-microlenses, are reviewed with applications for bio-detection and imaging. Finally, perspectives on future opportunities and potential improvements of biophotonic probes are also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Pan
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Dengyun Lu
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Hongbao Xin
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.
| | - Baojun Li
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.
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Gong C, Qiao Z, Yuan Z, Huang S, Wang W, Wu PC, Chen Y. Topological Encoded Vector Beams for Monitoring Amyloid-Lipid Interactions in Microcavity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:2100096. [PMID: 34194941 PMCID: PMC8224421 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202100096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Lasers are the pillars of modern photonics and sensing. Recent advances in microlasers have demonstrated its extraordinary lasing characteristics suitable for biosensing. However, most lasers utilized lasing spectrum as a detection signal, which can hardly detect or characterize nanoscale structural changes in microcavity. Here the concept of amplified structured light-molecule interactions is introduced to monitor tiny bio-structural changes in a microcavity. Biomimetic liquid crystal droplets with self-assembled lipid monolayers are sandwiched in a Fabry-Pérot cavity, where subtle protein-lipid membrane interactions trigger the topological transformation of output vector beams. By exploiting Amyloid β (Aβ)-lipid membrane interactions as a proof-of-concept, it is demonstrated that vector laser beams can be viewed as a topology of complex laser modes and polarization states. The concept of topological-encoded laser barcodes is therefore developed to reveal dynamic changes of laser modes and Aβ-lipid interactions with different Aβ assembly structures. The findings demonstrate that the topology of vector beams represents significant features of intracavity nano-structural dynamics resulted from structured light-molecule interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyang Gong
- School of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringNanyang Technological University50 Nanyang AvenueSingapore639798Singapore
| | - Zhen Qiao
- School of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringNanyang Technological University50 Nanyang AvenueSingapore639798Singapore
| | - Zhiyi Yuan
- School of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringNanyang Technological University50 Nanyang AvenueSingapore639798Singapore
| | - Shih‐Hsiu Huang
- Department of PhotonicsNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan70101Taiwan
| | - Wenjie Wang
- Key Lab of Advanced Transducers and Intelligent Control System of Ministry of EducationTaiyuan University of TechnologyTaiyuan030024P. R. China
| | - Pin Chieh Wu
- Department of PhotonicsNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan70101Taiwan
| | - Yu‐Cheng Chen
- School of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringNanyang Technological University50 Nanyang AvenueSingapore639798Singapore
- School of Chemical and Biomedical EngineeringNanyang Technological University62 Nanyang DriveSingapore637459Singapore
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Yang X, Gong C, Wang Y, Luo Y, Rao YJ, Peng GD, Gong Y. A sequentially bioconjugated optofluidic laser for wash-out-free and rapid biomolecular detection. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:1686-1693. [PMID: 33949394 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc01332c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microstructures can improve both sensitivity and assay time in heterogeneous assays (such as ELISA) for biochemical analysis; however, it remains a challenge to perform the essential wash process in those microstructure-based heterogeneous assays. Here, we propose a sequential bioconjugation protocol to solve this problem and demonstrate a new type of fiber optofluidic laser for biosensing. Except for acting as an optical microresonator and a microstructured substrate, the miniaturized hollow optical fiber (HOF) is used as a microfluidic channel for storing and transferring reagents thanks to its capability in length extension. Through the capillary action, different reagents were sequentially withdrawn into the fiber for specific binding and washing purposes. By using the sequentially bioconjugated FOFL, avidin molecules are detected based on competitive binding with a limit of detection of 9.5 pM, ranging from 10 pM to 100 nM. It is demonstrated that a short incubation time of 10 min is good enough to allow the biomolecules to conjugate on the inner surface of the HOF. Owing to its miniaturized size, only 589 nL of liquid is required for incubation, which reduces the sample consumption and cost for each test. This work provides a tool to exploit the potential of microstructured optical fibers in high-performance biosensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Ministry of Education of China), School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Ave., Chengdu, 611731 China.
| | - Chaoyang Gong
- School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Ave, Singapore, 639798 Singapore
| | - Yanqiong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Ministry of Education of China), School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Ave., Chengdu, 611731 China.
| | - Yanhua Luo
- School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Yun-Jiang Rao
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Ministry of Education of China), School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Ave., Chengdu, 611731 China. and Research Center for Optical Fiber Sensing, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China
| | - Gang-Ding Peng
- School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Yuan Gong
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Ministry of Education of China), School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Ave., Chengdu, 611731 China.
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Yuan Z, Tan X, Gong X, Gong C, Cheng X, Feng S, Fan X, Chen YC. Bioresponsive microlasers with tunable lasing wavelength. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:1608-1615. [PMID: 33439198 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr07921a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lasing particles are emerging tools for amplifying light-matter interactions at the biointerface by exploiting its strong intensity and miniaturized size. Recent advances in implementing laser particles into living cells and tissues have opened a new frontier in biological imaging, monitoring, and tracking. Despite remarkable progress in micro- and nanolasers, lasing particles with surface functionality remain challenging due to the low mode-volume while maintaining a high Q-factor. Herein, we report the novel concept of bioresponsive microlasers by exploiting interfacial energy transfer based on whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microdroplet cavities. Lasing wavelengths were manipulated by energy transfer-induced changes of a gain spectrum resulting from the binding molecular concentrations at the cavity surface. Both protein-based and enzymatic-based interactions were demonstrated, shedding light on the development of functional microlasers. Finally, tunable lasing wavelengths over a broad spectral range were achieved by selecting different donor/acceptor pairs. This study not only opens new avenues for biodetection, but also provides deep insights into how molecules modulate laser light at the biointerface, laying the foundation for the development of smart bio-photonic devices at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyi Yuan
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore.
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Tan X, Chen Q, Zhu H, Zhu S, Gong Y, Wu X, Chen YC, Li X, Li MWH, Liu W, Fan X. Fast and Reproducible ELISA Laser Platform for Ultrasensitive Protein Quantification. ACS Sens 2020; 5:110-117. [PMID: 31829015 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.9b01795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Optofluidic lasers are currently of high interest for sensitive intracavity biochemical analysis. In comparison with conventional methods such as fluorescence and colorimetric detection, optofluidic lasers provide a method for amplifying small concentration differences in the gain medium, thus achieving high sensitivity. Here, we report the development of an on-chip ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) laser platform that is able to complete an assay in a short amount of time with small sample/reagent volumes, large dynamic range, and high sensitivity. The arrayed microscale reaction wells in the ELISA lasers can be microfabricated directly on dielectric mirrors, thus significantly improving the quality of the reaction wells and detection reproducibility. The details of the fabrication and characterization of those reaction wells on the mirror are described and the ELISA laser assay protocols are developed. Finally, we applied the ELISA laser to detecting IL-6, showing that a detection limit of about 0.1 pg/mL can be achieved in 1.5 h with 15 μL of sample/reagents per well. This work pushes the ELISA laser a step closer to solving problems in real-world biochemical analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Tan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Qiushu Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Hongbo Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Song Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Yuan Gong
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Avenue, Chengdu 611731, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoqin Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Yu-Cheng Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xuzhou Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Maxwell Wei-Hao Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Wenyi Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Xudong Fan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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Yang X, Shu W, Wang Y, Gong Y, Gong C, Chen Q, Tan X, Peng GD, Fan X, Rao YJ. Turbidimetric inhibition immunoassay revisited to enhance its sensitivity via an optofluidic laser. Biosens Bioelectron 2019; 131:60-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Gong C, Gong Y, Zhao X, Luo Y, Chen Q, Tan X, Wu Y, Fan X, Peng GD, Rao YJ. Distributed fibre optofluidic laser for chip-scale arrayed biochemical sensing. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:2741-2748. [PMID: 30094434 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00638e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Optofluidic lasers (OFLs) are an emerging technological platform for biochemical sensing, and their good performance especially high sensitivity has been demonstrated. However, high-throughput detection with an OFL remains a major challenge due to the lack of reproducible optical microcavities. Here, we introduce the concept of a distributed fibre optofluidic laser (DFOFL) and demonstrate its potential for high-throughput sensing applications. Due to the precise fibre geometry control via fibre drawing, a series of identical optical microcavities uniformly distributed along a hollow optical fibre (HOF) can be achieved to obtain a one-dimensional (1D) DFOFL. An enzymatic reaction catalysed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) can be monitored over time, and the HRP concentration is detected by DFOFL-based arrayed colorimetric detection. Experimentally, five-channel detection in parallel with imaging has been demonstrated. Theoretically, spatial multiplexing of hundreds of channels is achievable with DFOFL-based detection. The DFOFL wavelength is tuned over hundreds of nanometers by optimizing the dye concentration or reconfiguring the liquid gain materials. Extending this concept to a two-dimensional (2D) chip through wavelength multiplexing can further enhance its multi-functionality, including multi-sample detection and spectral analysis. This work opens the door to high-throughput biochemical sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyang Gong
- Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications (Ministry of Education of China), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 2006, Xiyuan Ave., Chengdu, 611731 China.
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Chen YC, Chen Q, Wu X, Tan X, Wang J, Fan X. A robust tissue laser platform for analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsies. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:1057-1065. [PMID: 29511754 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00084k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Laser emission-based detection and imaging technology has attracted significant interest in biomedical research due to its high sensitivity, narrow linewidth, and superior spectral and spatial resolution. Recent advances have further revealed the potential to use laser emission to investigate chromatin dynamics, as well as to diagnose cancer tissues based on nuclear biomarkers. To move the laser emission based detection technology a step further towards practical use, in this work, we developed a highly robust tissue laser platform by microfabricating an SU8 spacer with a fixed height on the top mirror of the Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity, which allows generation of reproducible and stable lasing results regardless of tissue thickness. Then we applied this platform to achieve lasing emission from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung tissues, which account for an overwhelming fraction of tissues collected for research and clinical use worldwide. We further showed that the cancer and normal FFPE lung tissues can be distinguished by their respective lasing thresholds. Two different tissue thicknesses (10 μm and 5 μm) commonly used in pathological labs were explored. Finally, we tested three additional types of tissues (colon, stomach, and breast) that were prepared independently by lab technicians in a pathology lab in China and shipped to the US in order to validate the general applicability and practicality of the laser emission-based technology as well as the corresponding sample preparation protocol and the tissue laser platform. Our work will not only vastly broaden the applications of laser emission-based detection/imaging technology but also help translate it from the laboratory to an automated system for clinical practice that may eventually benefit biomedicine and biological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Cheng Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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