Scientists Can Now Turn Organic Cells Into Tiny Lasers

Monday, July 27, 2015 - 17:00 in Physics & Chemistry

Matjaž Humar and Seok Hyun YunScientists injected cells with polystyrene beads (green), to make them into tiny lasers.In the past few months we’ve seen laser internet in the sky and laser-generated holograms, but now lasers are going where they’ve never gone before: inside us.The medical field has been using lasers externally for years in refractive eye surgery and to remove tissue. This helps surgeons accomplish more complex tasks while reducing discomfort and infection, according to the FDA. Now, researchers at Harvard Medical school have devised a method to actually create lasers internally, within cells themselves. While they're not strong enough to burn away tissue or correct eyesight, these little internal pulses of energy could be used to target cancer cells or deliver medicine directly to infected tissue.Matjaž Humar and Seok Hyun YunAn optical fibre is used to test the cell's laser capabilities.Seok Hyun Yun, a co-author...

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