Towards optical cell transfection inside a micro flow cell

For optical transfection, cells are shortly subjected to intense, focused laser radiation which leads to a temporary opening in the cell membrane. Although the method is very efficient and ensures high cell viability, the targeting of single cells with laser pulses is a tedious and slow approach. We present first measurements aiming at an experimental setup which is suitable for high throughput and automated optical cell transfection. In our setup, cells flow through a micro flow cell where they are spatially confined. The laser radiation is focused into the cell in a way that an elongated focal region is realized. This makes the time consuming aiming of the laser beam at individual cells unnecessary and opens the possibility to develop a completely automated system. The elongated laser focal region is realized by a quasi-Bessel beam which is generated by an axicon lens setup and continuously scanned from side to side of the cell. We present test measurements of the newly employed setup and discuss its suitability to be fully integrated into a flow cell sequencing system.