Precision control of molecular activities and chemical reactions in live cells is a long-sought capability by life scientists. No existing technology can probe molecular targets in cells and simultaneously control the activities of only these targets at high spatial precision and on the fly. We develop a real-time precision opto-control (RPOC) technology that detects a chemical-specific optical response from molecular targets during laser scanning and uses the optical signal to trigger an acousto-optic modulator, which allows a separate laser beam to only interact with the molecules of interest without affecting other parts of the sample. RPOC can automatically probe and control biomolecular activities and chemical processes in dynamic living samples with submicron spatial accuracy, nanoseconds response time, and high chemical specificity.

中文翻译：

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活细胞化学过程的实时精密光控

精确控制活细胞中的分子活动和化学反应是生命科学家长期追求的能力。没有现有技术可以探测细胞中的分子靶标，同时以高空间精度和动态控制这些靶标的活动。我们开发了一种实时精密光控 (RPOC) 技术，该技术可在激光扫描期间检测来自分子目标的化学特异性光学响应，并使用光信号触发声光调制器，该调制器仅允许单独的激光束相互作用在不影响样品其他部分的情况下使用感兴趣的分子。RPOC可以自动探测和控制动态活体样品中的生物分子活动和化学过程，具有亚微米空间精度、纳秒级响应时间和高化学特异性。