Auxiliary Optomechanical Tools for 3D Cell Manipulation

Abstract: Advances in laser and optoelectronic technologies brought the general concept of optomechanical manipulation to the level of standard biophysical tools, paving ways towards controlled experiments and measurements of tiny mechanical forces. Recent developments in direct laser writing (DLW), enabled the realization of new types of micron-scale optomechanical tools, capable of performing designated functions. Here we further develop the concept of DLW-fabricated optomechanically-driven tools and demonstrate full-3D manipulation capabilities over biological objects. In particular, we resolved a long-standing problem of out-of-plane rotation in a pure liquid, which was demonstrated on a living cell, clamped between a pair of forks, designed for efficient manipulation with holographic optical tweezers. The demonstrated concept paves new ways towards realization of flexible tools for performing on-demand functions over biological objects, such as cell tomography and surgery to name just few.