ICFO research featured in 'Optics in 2005'

ICFO researchers Dr. Caitriona Creely , Gajendra P. Singh and Giovanni Volpe working under the direction of Prof. Dmitri Petrov have developed a new technique for spectroscopic imaging of living cells. Optical tweezers can be used to immobilise cells normally found in suspension and thus acquire its Raman spectrum. Previous techniques only allowed for imaging of a cell attached to a surface. However, using Holographic Optical Tweezers produced by a spatial light modulator floating cells can be scanned back and forth across the focus of a stationary exciting laser beam. So for the first time it was possible to construct a Raman image of a floating cell, by exploiting this new tool in micromanipulation.

This latest technique holds exciting possibilities for the study of living cells in their natural environment, making now available previously inaccessible space-resolved information. A summary of the technique by the authors was featured in Optics and Photonics News in the “Optics in 2005” issue.