Long-term imaging and spatio-temporal control of living cells using light

The ability to optically interact with cells on both an individual and collective level has applications from wound healing to cancer treatment. Building systems which can facilitate both localised light illumination and visualisation of cells can however, be challenging and costly. This work takes the DOME, an existing platform for the closed-loop optical control of microscale agents, and adapts the design to support live-cell imaging. Through modifications made to the imaging and projection systems within the DOME, a significantly higher imaging resolution is achieved as well as the ability to customise the light projection wavelengths. Changes to the fundamental design allow for long-term use in an environment of higher temperature and humidity, facilitating the long-term imaging of live cells.