Sub-cellular precision on-chip small-animal immobilization, multi-photon imaging and femtosecond-laser manipulation.

Techniques for stable, rapid and repeatable small-animal immobilization are necessary for high-throughput in vivo genetic/drug screens using cellular and sub-cellular features in multi-cellular organisms. We demonstrate a method for non-invasive and high-throughput on-chip immobilization of physiologically active C. elegans without the use of anesthesia or cooling, but with comparable stability even for the most demanding purposes. We show observation and manipulation of sub-cellular features in immobilized animals using two-photon microscopy and femtosecond-laser microsurgery.