Optoporation is technique that uses highly focused femtosecond laser pulses to create a hole in the membrane of a single cell. This hole is large enough to allow particles that would otherwise be to large to cross the phospholipid bilayer to enter and exit the cell. Yet, this hole is also small enough to reseal within the matter of seconds allowing the cell to survive. I am currently working with Poornima Gadamsetty to adapt this technique to in vivo systems by targeting astrocytes in the brains of anesthetized mice. If succesful, this technique will allow us to track the development and function a single cell. I am an undergratuate double majoring in Psychology and Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and am in the Cornell Biology Scholars Program.
