Method and device for opening external layer structures of cells using laser

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for opening external layer structures of cells using laser, wherein the short pulse laser beam excited from a laser source is converged via an optical lens set and concentrated at a focus, and a biological sample which is fixed on the focus or moves through the focus is treated with the concentrated short pulse laser beam, so that the cell membranes or cell walls of cells in the sample are broken.

Claims

<p>A method for opening external layer structures of cells using laser, characterized by comprising:providing an analysis cartridge, the analysis cartridge comprising a flow channel for containing a biological sample;providing a laser device over the analysis cartridge, the laser device comprising an optical lens set and a laser source for emitting a short pulse laser beam, wherein the laser device is configured to process the biological sample;providing a microcontroller configured to generate a plurality of signals;providing a signal generator, electrically connected between the microcontroller and the laser source, wherein the signal generator is configured to receive a first signal of the plurality of signals from the microcontroller to adjust a repetition rate of the short pulse laser beam;providing a power supply, electrically connected between the microcontroller and the laser source, wherein the power supply is configured to receive a second signal of the plurality of signals from the microcontroller to output a current to the laser source and to control an output power of the short pulse laser beam; andproviding a flow rate and flow volume controller, electrically connected to the microcontroller, wherein the flow rate and flow volume controller is configured to receive a third signal of the plurality of signals from the microcontroller to control a motion state of the biological sample in the flow channel of the analysis cartridge, wherein the biological sample flows at a flow rate ranged between 0.01 milliliter per minute (ml / min) and 1.5 ml / min in the flow channel; andprocessing the biological sample using the short pulse laser beam to treat the biological sample along with a flow of the biological sample in the flow channel of the analysis cartridge, by generating a shock wave in the biological sample through the instantaneous pulse of the short pulse laser, thereby causing a pressure difference in cells in the biological sample to damage the cell membrane or the cell wall of the cells in the biological sample, wherein the laser is emitted onto the biological sample with an output power of 30 watts (W) to 200 watts (W), and a repetition rate of 1 megahertz (MHz) to 4 MHz.The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the short pulse laser beam includes a nanosecond pulse laser beam, a pulse width of the short pulse laser beam is between 1 nanosecond (ns) and 500 ns, a wavelength of the short pulse laser beam ranges from 800 nanometers (nm) to 1100 nm, and a pulse energy of the short pulse laser beam ranges from 20 nanojoules (nJ) to 2000 nJ.The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flow channel has a depth ranging from 0.01 millimeter (mm) to 3 mm and a width ranging from 0.01 mm to 3 mm, and the short pulse laser beam is emitted onto the biological sample as the biological sample flows.The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the laser source is selected from a group consisting of a semiconductor laser, a solid-state laser and a fiber laser, and a material of the laser source is selected from a group consisting of neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd YAG), indium gallium arsenide / aluminum gallium arsenide ((In)Ga(Al)As / AlGaAs), aluminum gallium indium arsenide (InGaAlAs), and indium gallium phosphide arsenide (InGaAsP).The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the optical lens set is configured to converge the short pulse laser beam, and a spot size of a focus of the short pulse laser beam is between 0.1 mm and 5.1 mm in diameter, and the semiconductor laser includes a laser diode.The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the biological sample comprises a tissue of an animal or a plant, a cell of an animal or a plant, a microbial cell, or a sample suspected to contain biological tissues or cells.

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