Wavelength-encoded laser particles for massively-multiplexed cell tagging

Large-scale single-cell analyses have become increasingly important given the role of cellular heterogeneity in complex biological systems. However, no current techniques enable optical imaging of uniquely-tagged individual cells. Fluorescence-based approaches can only distinguish a handful of distinct cells or cell groups at a time because of spectral crosstalk between conventional fluorophores. Here we show a novel class of imaging probes emitting coherent laser light, called laser particles. Made of silica-coated semiconductor microcavities, these laser particles have single-mode emission over a broad range from 1170 to 1580 nm with sub-nm linewidths, enabling massive spectral multiplexing. We demonstrate the stability and biocompatibility of these probes in vitro and their utility for wavelength-multiplexed cell tagging and imaging. We demonstrate real-time tracking of thousands of individual cells in a 3D tumor model for several days showing different behavioral phenotypes. We expect laser particles will enable new approaches for single-cell analyses.