Jiayu Hu, Sophia Liu, Xuning Ye, Rehaan Hassan, Huiying Huang, Zachary Wang, Veronica Gomez-Godinez, Linda Shi

Abstract: Short-pulsed, Robotic-laser microscope systems were shown to be powerful tools for inducing precise and localized damage in live cells to investigate fundamental biomechanics and cellular response pathways. Historically, these systems were applied to live-cell damage in research areas such as DNA repair, cellular biomechanics, chromatin structure during mitosis, and mitotic checkpoint regulation, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper, two platforms—femtosecond laser ablation and laser-induced shockwaves (LIS) were applied to analyse tissue-level changes in collagen fibers and were used to probe Drosophila brain tissues. In collagen assays, a measurable ~30% increase in tissue thickness surrounding the ablation zone was demonstrated and was captured by quantitative phase imaging (QPI). In parallel, LIS perturbation of fly brain morphology revealed that total volume, rather than shape, determined resistance to mechanical shock. Collectively, these findings were shown to reinforce the adaptability of laser-induced microscope platforms across biological scales and were found to highlight their applications in tissue engineering, neurodegenerative disease research, and regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Laser-induced Shockwave, Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Ablation, Robotic Laser Microscope Systems, Collagen Tissue, Drosophila Brain Tissue

Date Published: November 25, 2025
DOI: 10.11159/jbeb.2025.008

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