A new tractor beam chip from MIT can move and manipulate biological particles using beams of light. Its purpose is to aid in DNA screening and search for diseases.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found. newly It introduced new technology that could have come from the Star Wars movies. It is chip-based and enables the tractor beam to manipulate biological molecules. This method could help biologists and doctors examine cells and DNA more closely and better understand diseases.
What's special: A tractor beam uses light rays emitted from a small chip. This allows it to pick up and move cells several millimeters away. Direct removal of cells from their sterile environment is not necessary.
Tractor beam chip like in star wars
Typically, researchers use optical tweezers to move microscopic particles using light. But these tweezers require huge microscopic setups that require a lot of space and effort. The MIT team has now developed a more compact solution that runs directly on the chip.
Traditional chip-based systems were previously only able to handle molecules directly on the chip. But this often led to pollution. With new technology, the removed molecules can now be transferred to the chip. This maintains the survival of the cells.
Successful manipulation of cancer cells
The team used so-called “integrated optical phase arrays.” This is the technology that allows light rays to be directed precisely. It creates a narrowly focused beam of light that captures particles and moves them, so to speak. The researchers first tested the method on small plastic beads before successfully manipulating cancer cells. They plan to continue developing the technology to study more complex biological systems.
New chip technology could have far-reaching impacts on biomedical research. Cost-effective production of silicon photonics chips could make optical processing the standard in laboratories around the world. This would make it possible to diagnose diseases more efficiently and understand biological systems better at the single-cell level. Research into disease mechanisms could also receive a major boost from this technology.
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