A LASER BASED QUARTZ MICROPIPETTE PULLER

GLASS MICROPIPETTES ARE OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN CELL PHYSIOLOGY WITH PARTICULARLY INTENSIVE APPLICATIONS IN NEUROPHYSIOLOGY. THE ABILITY TO ACCESS THE INTERIOR OF A CELL AND MONITOR THE ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THAT CELLHAS LED TO AN EXPLOSION OF INFORMATION ABOUT NEURONAL BEHAVIOR. ALL MICROPIPETTE PULLERS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE EMPLOY METAL HEATING FILAMENTS AND ARE LIMITED TO WORKING WITH LOW MELTING POINT GLASSES SUCH AS BOROSILICATE AND ALUMINOSILICATE. HIGH MELTING POINT GLASSES, SUCH AS QUARTZ, POSSESS SUPERIOR MATERIAL PROPERTIES FOR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH BUT ARE RARELY USED BECAUSE THEIR MELTING POINTS EXCEED THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL HEATING ELEMENTS. THE OBJECT OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO SHOW THE FEASIBILITY OF PRODUCING A MICROPIPETTE PULLER THAT CAN FABRICATE A MICROPIPETTE OF CONTROLLED CONFIGURATION FROM HIGH MELTING POINT MATERIALS, SUCH AS QUARTZ. THE SOURCE OFHEAT IN THE PROPOSED MICROPIPETTE PULLER IS A LASER DEVICE WHICH EMITS A CHARACTERISTIC WAVELENGTH EQUIVALENT TO THE PREDOMINANT RESONANT FREQUENCY OF QUARTZ. PROOF OF CONCEPT HAS ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED FOR A LASER BASED PULLER (U.S. PATENT #4,869,745), AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH AN INSTRUMENT WOULD REPRESENT A SUBSTANTIAL TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.