THE MICRO-ROBOTIC LABORATORY - OPTICAL TRAPPING AND SCISSING FOR THE BIOLOGIST

With the addition of tightly focused laser beams, microscopes have bee n turned into elaborate preparative tools that permit not only allow d etailed observation of a specimen but also the capture, displacement, and microdissection of biological samples in vitro with astonishing ea se and accuracy. LaserTweezers are used to capture and manipulate cell s and organelles. LaserScissors are used to perform microdissections a t the submicrometer level. After a short technical description of the instrumentation and its principles of operation, several examples of a pplications are given relevant to the field of clinical research that could only be achieved using such modern technology. For instance, Las erTweezers and LaserScissors offer a unprecedented means to study the immune response to cancer, to control the growth of nerve cells, or ex pand the significance of assisted reproductive technologies. It is sug gested that newly developing procedures and assays using laser-assiste d technologies will prove beneficial for future clinical laboratory te sting. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.