Controlled cell growth using holographic optical traps

Abstract

We demonstrate controlled growth of yeast cells using holographic optical traps generated by encoding a computerdesigned hologram on a phase-only spatial light modulator. A Ti:S femtosecond laser operating at a wavelength of 790 nm under continuous-wave (CW) mode is used as the trapping source. We show simultaneous trapping of three growing yeast cells that are initially beside each other under a controlled environment. This protocol benchmarks a tool for initially studying the growth relationships between confined cells in mixed cultures.