Light-directed migration of D. discoideum slugs in microchannels

This paper presents light-directed migration of multi-cellular microorganisms (slugs) of Dictyostelium discoideum in a microchip. The microchip consists of a microchamber and intersecting microchannels fabricated from agar to provide a moist environment necessary for slug survival. Slugs are driven to migrate in the geometric confinements of the microchannels under the stimulation of light, with the direction of migration determined by the position of an optical fiber that introduces light into the microchip. Experimental results demonstrate that this approach effectively allows controlled migration of slugs and has potential applications to biologically based microactuators.