Random Lasing from Label-Free Living Cells for Rapid Cytometry of Apoptosis

Abstract

A random laser carrying the scattering information on a biological host is a promising tool for the characterization of biophysical properties. In this work, random lasing from label-free living cells is proposed to achieve rapid cytometry of apoptosis. Random lasing is achieved by adding biocompatible gain medium to a confocal dish containing cells under optically pumped conditions. The random lasing characteristics are distinct at different stages of cell apoptosis after drug treatment. By analyzing the power Fourier transform results of the random lasing spectra, the percentage of apoptotic cells could be distinguished within two seconds, which is more than an order of magnitude faster than traditional flow cytometry. These results provide a label-free approach for rapid cytometry of apoptosis, which is advantageous for further research of random lasers in the biological field.

Properties and Applications of Random Lasers as Emerging Light Sources and Optical Sensors: A Review

“…A rapid cytometry of apoptosis was also achieved using RL spectra through the PFT analysis. The scattering strength was varied as the cell morphology was deformed due to the drug treatment [ 61 ].…”

“…Variations in scatterer concentrations [ 52 , 53 , 54 ], gain media [ 53 ] and refractive indices of solvent [ 55 , 56 ] have been detected through the RL emission. Sensing applications have been extended to the biological field, such as the optomechanical and bio-chemical sensing (nanoscale mechanical sensing in hard [ 26 ] and soft [ 57 ] tissues, dopamine sensing [ 58 ], PH sensing [ 59 ] and human antibody IgG sensing [ 60 ]), tissue differentiation [ 27 ], cell differentiation [ 28 , 61 ], cancer diagnosis [ 30 , 31 , 32 ] and cancer therapy [ 29 , 33 ]. A sensing scale of RLs down to the cell level has recently attracted an increasing interest [ 34 , 51 , 62 ].…”

Hybrid Microcavity Lasers: Principle, Design, and Practical Application

“…[19] Therefore, the optical microcavity has developed rapidly with its advantages of high quality (Q) factor and small mode volume, in low threshold lasers, sensors, cavity quantum electrodynamics, cavity optomechanics, and other fields. [20][21][22][23][24][25] Since the beginning of the revolution in optical microcavities, there have been a vast number of cavities, e.g., Fabry-Perot interferometers (F-P), [26][27][28][29][30] DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202300343 distributed Bragg reflectors (DFB), [31][32][33][34][35][36] distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) cavities, [37][38][39][40] whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators, [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] scattering system (SS), [49][50][51][52][53] and deformation cavities. [54][55][56][57] These specific geometries endow these microcavities with, respectively, distinct lasing emission features in frequency, direction, mode, time, or angular momentum.…”

Determination of Enantiomeric Excess by Optofluidic Microlaser near Exceptional Point

“…[26] To date, optofluidic microlasers have been employed to distinguish subtle changes of biological processes, which are extracted from the variation in lasing signals of intensity, linewidth, wavelength, and polarization. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] The whispering-gallery mode (WGM) based optofluidic microlasers have attracted considerable research interest due to their high quality (Q) factors, enabling strong light-matter interactions. [35][36][37][38][39] However, the WGM-based optofluidic microlasers support both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) traveling-wave modes with chiral symmetry.…”