Fabrication process of microsurgical tools for single-cell trapping and intracytoplasmic injection

In this paper, we introduce chemical etching-based processes for fabricating micromanipulators from fused silica microcapillary tubing. The resulting devices are capable of manipulating individual cells and can be used for intracytoplasmic injection. Two types of micromanipulating tools: single-cell trappers and micro-injectors, were fabricated with two single-step etching processes. These etching mechanisms, which are either surface tension controlled or diffusion rate limited, are discussed in detail with experimental verifications. The fabrication processes are reproducible and amenable to mass production due to their simplicity and low fabrication cost. Single cell capture and intracytoplasmic injection have been successfully demonstrated on brassica oleracea protoplasts. Index Terms--Cell trapping, intracytoplasmic injection, micro-manipulator, photobleaching.