Raman, hyper-Raman, hyper-Rayleigh, two-photon luminescence and morphology-dependent resonance modes in a single optical tweezers system

We present a setup of optical tweezers combined with linear and nonlinear microspectroscopies that enhances the capabilities of capture and analysis of both techniques. We can use either a continuous-wave (cw) Ti:sapphire laser for Raman measurements or a pulsed femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser that permitted the observation of nonlinear results such as hyper-Raman, hyper-Rayleigh, and two-photon luminescence. Only the high peak intensity of the femtosecond laser allows the observation of all these nonlinear spectroscopies. The sensitivity of our system also permitted the observation of morphology-dependent resonance (MDR) modes of a single stained trapped microsphere of 6 mu m. The possibility of performing spectroscopy in a living microorganism optically trapped in any desired neighborhood would mean that one can dynamically observe the chemical reactions and/or mechanical properties changing in real time.721

BDNF/TrkB Signaling as a Potential Novel Target in Pediatric Brain Tumors: Anticancer Activity of Selective TrkB Inhibition in Medulloblastoma Cells

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Deregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) signaling has been associated with increased proliferative capabilities, invasiveness, and chemoresistance in several types of cancer. However, the relevance of this pathway in MB remains unknown. Here, we show that the selective TrkB inhibitor N-[2-[[(hexahydro-2-oxo-1H-azepin-3-yl)amino]carbonyl]phenyl]-benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (ANA-12) markedly reduced the viability and survival of human cell lines representative of different MB molecular subgroups. These findings provide the first evidence supporting further investigation of TrkB inhibition as a potential novel strategy for MB treatment