BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Cage Lighting

Cells packed into buckyball cages using lasers and sound waves for studying cellular interactions and networks

12 June 2020

Cage Lighting

Researchers have used laser beams to print microscopic three-dimensional 'cages' that they filled with living cells by using sound waves as tweezers. This isn't science fiction. Created in Vienna, the cage-like structures were made by steering a laser beam through a liquid, causing it to harden precisely where it was touched by the laser, in pentagon and hexagon patterns resulting in buckyballs (red). The balls were then placed into another liquid, containing individual cells taken from mice and human blood vessels. Cells were moved inside the balls using acoustic vibrations to whirl and swirl them towards their destination. Once inside, they grew out of the tiny openings and connected with cells in nearby balls to form networks, shown here as red string-like projections. The new technique was able to pack more cells inside each ball than has previously been possible. This will allow scientists to investigate how cells grow in health and disease.

Written by Deborah Oakley

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.