Enriching microlaser-labelled cells by commercial flow cytometry-based cell sorting systems
- 1Institute for Light and Matter, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Abstract
Microlasers based on whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) provide bright, spectrally narrow emission, making them ideal optical probes for high-resolution cellular tagging, single-cell tracking, and biosensing. To reproducibly apply WGM microlasers in biomedical or tissue-engineering contexts, control over the number of lasers in a cell population is highly desirable. Here we use a commercial instrument for flow cytometry-based cell sorting to obtain HEK293T cell populations with a controlled number of polystyrene laser particles (LPs). By modifying the particle surface with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) or lipofectamine, we enhance LP-association to cells. We demonstrate that our sorting procedure yields viable cells showing unchanged proliferation rates. Manufacturer-dependent differences in particle-cell interactions were observed and investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and flow cytometry. Finally, we show that the same sorting approach enables the generation of multi-cellular spheroids with a defined ratio of LP-containing and LP-free cells. This work lays the foundation for larger tissue engineering studies with defined LP populations and control over LP-placement with respect to the cell.
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BibTeX
@misc{koenig2026enriching,
title = {{Enriching microlaser-labelled cells by commercial flow cytometry-based cell sorting systems}},
author = {M. Koenig and T. T. Plaskocinski and A. Popczyk and V. M. Titze and F. Gaedke and M. Germer and A.-L. Schumacher and A. M. Schmidt and M. Schubert and M. C. Gather},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.02.756078},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.02.756078v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Enriching microlaser-labelled cells by commercial flow cytometry-based cell sorting systems
AU - M. Koenig
AU - T. T. Plaskocinski
AU - A. Popczyk
AU - V. M. Titze
AU - F. Gaedke
AU - M. Germer
AU - A.-L. Schumacher
AU - A. M. Schmidt
AU - M. Schubert
AU - M. C. Gather
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.02.756078
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.02.756078v1
AB - Microlasers based on whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) provide bright, spectrally narrow emission, making them ideal optical probes for high-resolution cellular tagging, single-cell tracking, and biosensing. To reproducibly apply WGM microlasers in biomedical or tissue-engineering contexts, control over the number of lasers in a cell population is highly desirable. Here we use a commercial instrument for flow cytometry-based cell sorting to obtain HEK293T cell populations with a controlled number of polystyrene laser particles (LPs). By modifying the particle surface with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) or lipofectamine, we enhance LP-association to cells. We demonstrate that our sorting procedure yields viable cells showing unchanged proliferation rates. Manufacturer-dependent differences in particle-cell interactions were observed and investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and flow cytometry. Finally, we show that the same sorting approach enables the generation of multi-cellular spheroids with a defined ratio of LP-containing and LP-free cells. This work lays the foundation for larger tissue engineering studies with defined LP populations and control over LP-placement with respect to the cell.
ER -