Femtosecond laser-assisted microinjection into living neurons.

A Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser micro-manipulation system was used to perforate vital cells. Propidium iodide was successfully transferred into both astrocytes and PC12 cells via the channel of a femtosecond laser, which induced transiently recoverable opening of the cell membrane. The transfection efficiency reached almost 100%. This method also had the advantage of contact-free, non-disruptive and stable transfection.