New micromanipulation process goes into practice

The technology developed at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics has now been licensed by Rapp OptoElectronic and can help to better understand embryonic developmental disorders. As an add-on module for high-resolution microscopes, FLUCS will not only improve cell biology and medical research in the future, but also open up new possibilities in microfluidics.

Powerful imaging techniques are used in cell biology and medical research to observe and analyse biological processes in cells. The targeted manipulation of cells under controlled conditions is a major challenge in order to understand processes and causal relationships. Researchers are therefore reliant on effective tools that enable them to manipulate individual components of a cell in order to investigate their effects on intracellular mechanisms and interactions.

A common problem with conventional methods of cell manipulation, however, is that the sample is disturbed by the manipulation and the results are falsified. The new FLUCS method now allows non-invasive manipulation of cells for the first time, for example in developmental biology. FLUCS is a photomanipulation method that makes it possible to specifically influence and control movements within cells and embryos using laser beams. The beam induces a localised thermal field in the cytoplasm. This changes the density and viscosity of the liquid medium within a narrow localised area and causes the fast-moving laser spot to create a flow. In contrast to conventional methods, such as optical tweezers, the biomolecules floating in the cytoplasm are set in motion directly without the need to modify the sample. They can also continue to interact unhindered with their environment. The method can be used in particular to clarify important questions about embryonic development.

A team of researchers led by Moritz Kreysing from the Max Planck Institute (now at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) was able to generate controlled currents in living worm embryos and transport biomolecules to different parts of the growing embryo. The targeted redistribution enabled them to investigate the significance of the movement of the cytoplasm for the polarisation of egg cells, and thus the question of which molecule has to go exactly where and when during development.

Market-ready product

The FLUCS technology was transferred from the Max Planck Institute to the company Rapp OptoElectronic as part of a development collaboration. Based on the successful joint development and the licence agreement that has now been concluded, Rapp OptoElectronic offers FLUCS as a market-ready product to researchers and industrial users worldwide. A pilot system is located in the LMF (Light Microscopy Facility) of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden. Here, FLUCS is available to interested scientists from inside and outside the Max Planck Society for their research. The device is integrated as an add-on module to high-resolution microscopes via standard interfaces and can thus be used for photomanipulation without great effort.

„FLUCS closes a gap in the micro-manipulation techniques available to date to investigate the causes and consequences of intracellular movement. Moderate heating of the sample with a laser spot induces directed fluid flows. Their path can be easily customised via the user-friendly software, for example as a line, circle or free form. This allows components of a cell such as organelles, PAR proteins and even chromatin in the cell nucleus to be moved freely without having to hold or fix them in place," says Sven Warnck, Managing Director of Rapp OptoElectronic.

Various application possibilities

The application possibilities are manifold. In cell biology, artificially generated cytoplasmic currents can be used, for example, to invert PAR proteins and thus influence embryonic development. In medical research, for example, molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways in cells can be better investigated and the development of drugs supported. In microfluidics, FLUCS can be used to investigate the behaviour of liquid quantities in the micro- or picolitre range in more detail and thus support new methods of laboratory measurement technology, quality control or food safety.

„We are delighted that the successful cooperation between the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and Rapp OptoElectronic  will bring first-class commercial products to the market that are far superior to the current state of the art. FLUCS makes microscopy interactive and opens up new possibilities for a wide range of research areas,

said Bernd Ctortecka, Patent and Licensing Manager at Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer organisation of the Max Planck Society.

Article from the "Max Planck Society" from 17 May 2023