Application of femtosecond laser scalpel and optical tweezers for noncontact biopsy of late preimplantation embryos

I. V. Ilina , Yu. V. Khramova, M. A. Filatov, M. L. Semenova, D. S. Sitnikov

We demonstrate that one of the key steps of preimplantation genetic diagnosis called embryo biopsy can be successfully performed in noncontact mode by means of femtosecond laser scalpel and optical tweezers. Embryo biopsy was carried out in late-stage mouse preimplantation embryos. Femtosecond laser pulses were applied to detach the desired amount of trophectoderm cells from the blastocyst, while the optical tweezers trapped the cells and moved them out of the embryo. The parameters of laser radiation were opti-mized so as to efficiently perform embryo biopsy and preserve the viability of the treated embryos.

DOI

Laser microsurgery of cells by femtosecond laser scalpel and optical tweezers

D. S. Sitnikov, A. V. Ovchinnikov, I. V. Ilina, O. V. Chefonov, M. B. Agranat

This paper provides a brief overview of the current state of research in the field of laser microsurgery of preimplantation embryos. The combined system femtosecond laser tweezers-scalpel developed in JIHT RAS is described. A scheme of device and peculiarities of functioning its nodes as well as the ground for the choice of their parameters are presented. The results of the development of methodology for noncontact polar body biopsy of the preimplantation embryo are also presented to demonstrate the potentials of the combined multi-purpose system femtosecond laser tweezers-scalpel.

DOI

Application of femtosecond laser pulses in biomedical cell technologies

I. V. Ilina, A. V. Ovchinnikov, D. S. Sitnikov, M. M. Rakityanskiy, M. B. Agranat, Y. V. Khramova, M. L. Semenova
The results are presented of the works in the field of development of equipment, investigation techniques, and technologies for biology and medicine performed in the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Scienses (JIHT RAS). On the base of the new generation infrared femtosecond lasers, the experimental models are developed and manufactured of laser tweezers, scalpel, and the “tweezers-scalpel” combined system. The results are presented of the experimental studies on the noncontact mammalian cell fusion (blastomeres of mouse embryos on day 1.5 of development) by means of the femtosecond laser pulses.
DOI