Parallel Translation of DNA Clusters by VCSEL Array Trapping and Temperature Control with Laser Illumination

Abstract

This paper reports an experimental verification on the fundamentals of a translation method of DNA clusters. The DNA cluster is composed of DNA strands connected to a microscopic bead. We demonstrated that the DNA clusters were translated toward different directions by optical manipulation with vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array sources. The DNA strands connected to the target bead by hybridization were detached by temperature control with laser illumination. The presented method is expected to be applied to DNA computing and molecular memory that utilize optical techniques effectively .