2. Academic Validation
  3. Stem cell differentiation with consistent lineage commitment induced by a flash of ultrafast-laser activation in vitro and in vivo

Stem cell differentiation with consistent lineage commitment induced by a flash of ultrafast-laser activation in vitro and in vivo

  • Cell Rep. 2022 Mar 8;38(10):110486. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110486.
Wanyi Tang 1,  Haipeng Wang 1,  Xiaohui Zhao 1,  Shiyue Liu 2,  Siu Kai Kong 2,  Aaron Ho 3,  Tunan Chen 4,  Hua Feng 4,  Hao He 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China.
  • 2 School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P.R. China.
  • 3 Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P.R. China.
  • 4 Institute of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing 400038, P.R. China.
  • 5 School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 35263591 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110486
Abstract

Recent technological advancements on stem cell differentiation induction have been making great progress in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and therapeutic applications. However, the risk of off-target differentiation limits the wide application of stem cell therapy strategies. Here, we report a non-invasive all-optical strategy to induce stem cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo that activates individual target stem cells in situ by delivering a transient 100-ms irradiation of a tightly focused femtosecond laser to a submicron cytoplasmic region of primary adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). The ADSCs differentiate to osteoblasts with stable lineage commitment that cannot further transdifferentiate because of simultaneous initiation of multiple signaling pathways through specific Ca2+ kinetic patterns. This method can work in vivo to direct mouse cerebellar granule neuron progenitors to granule neurons in intact mouse cerebellums through the skull. Hence, this optical method without any genetic manipulations or exogenous biomaterials holds promising potential in biomedical research and cell-based therapies.

Keywords

femtosecond laser; in vivo differentiation; multiphoton excitation; stem cell differentiation.

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