An opto-thermocapillary cell micromanipulator.

An opto-thermocapillary micromanipulator (OTMm) capable of single-cell manipulation and patterning is presented here. The OTMm uses a near-infrared laser focused on an ITO substrate to induce thermocapillary convection that can trap and transport living cells with forces of up to 40 pN. The OTMm complements other cell-manipulation technologies, such as optical tweezers and dielectrophoresis, as it is less dependent upon the optical and electrical properties of the working environment, and can function in many types of cell culture media. The OTMm was used to construct single-cell matrices in two popular hydrogels: PEGDA and agarose. High viability rates were observed in both hydrogels, and cells patterned in agarose spread and migrated during subsequent culturing.