Cell piercing with lasers

Researchers at St Andrews University have developed a method of using a femtosecond laser to pierce cell walls to allow drugs and DNA to enter the cell. The cell is able to heal itself but not before material is assimilated into the cell.

The art of using a laser to make a hole or pore in a cell membrane is called photoporation. Such a procedure creates an opportunity for DNA to enter the cell before the pore closes and the cell heals itself. If the DNA is then transcribed and translated into a protein, the process is known as optical transfection