Abstract

A new imaging technique that provides high-contrast laser images and spectra of DNA/protein structures in cells has been demonstrated by Sandia National Laboratories in a collaborative project with the National Institutes of Health. The laser-imaging method (called a biological-microcavity laser, or biocavity for short) provides the basis for a new kind of biomedical analysis of cell structure. This includes both living and fixed cells from humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. The technique does not require the customary chemical staining that can seriously disturb the cell's structure and function. The biocavity laser has the potential for contributing to advances in cell microbiology, immunology, genetic sequencing, and early diagnosis of disease.

© 1995 Optical Society of America