Open AccessFabrication and analysis of microfiber array platform for optogenetics with cellular resolution
Author(s) -
Jianhong Chen,
Ming-Yi Chou,
ChienYuan Pan,
Lon A. Wang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.7.004416
Subject(s) - microfiber , optogenetics , materials science , photopolymer , polydimethylsiloxane , fabrication , nanotechnology , biomedical engineering , polymer , polymerization , neuroscience , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , composite material , biology
Optogenetics has emerged as a revolutionary technology especially for neuroscience and has advanced continuously over the past decade. Conventional approaches for patterned in vivo optical illumination have a limitation on the implanted device size and achievable spatio-temporal resolution. In this work, we developed a fabrication process for a microfiber array platform. Arrayed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfibers were drawn from a polymer solution and packaged with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The exposed end face of a packaged microfiber was tuned to have a size corresponding to a single cell. To demonstrate its capability for single cell optogenetics, HEK293T cells expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) were cultured on the platform and excited with UV laser. We could then observe an elevation in the intracellular Ca 2+ concentrations due to the influx of Ca 2+ through the activated ChR2 into the cytosol. The statistical and simulation results indicate that the proposed microfiber array platform can be used for single cell optogenetic applications.