New Laser-Based Fluid Jets Hold Promise for Novel Drug Delivery

Physicists at the Duke University have devised a new laser-based technique to generate sharp fluid jets that are precise enough to inject drugs into a living cell. The laser-based method may prove useful for stem cell research and other cell-based studies.

The researchers developed the fluid jets by directing the lasers inside a fluid enclosing a cell. The blue dye’s molecules that get heated by the laser dissolve in the fluid and produce small bubbles. The bubbles, when developed individually, produce shock waves, which spread all over the liquid. Generating two adjoining bubbles in quick succession creates tiny jets that are capable of punching small holes. The small holes measure 0.2 millionths of a meter in cell membranes.

The researchers informed that the fluid jets enabled the entry of fluids inside the cell by verifying the signs of the blue dye within the penetrated cell. The toxic dye killed the penetrated cells, but the holes developed by the fluid jets were tiny enough to infuse nontoxic materials inside the living cells without damaging them.

Source: http://www.duke.edu