ABSTRACT
David J. Stevenson SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland
Frank J. Gunn-Moore School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland Paul Campbell Department of Electronic Engineering and Physics, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland Kishan Dholakia SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland
3.1 Introduction: Why Cell Transfection? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 3.2 Nonoptical Methods of Transfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 3.3 Review of Optical Injection and Transfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 3.4 Physics of Species Transport through a Photopore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 3.5 Physics of the Laser-Cell Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 3.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
This chapter describes the use of light to transiently increase the permeability of mammalian cells to allow membrane impermeable substances to cross the plasma membrane. We refer to this process as optical injection or more specifically optical transfection, when genetic material is introduced into and expressed by a cell. A brief discussion of nonphotonic transfection and injection technologies is presented. A review of the field of optical transfection and the underlying physical mechanisms associated with this process is then described.
