Fluorescent cell biolasers, M.C. Gather, S.H. Yun, Nat. Photonics 5, 406-410 (2011). By pumping single florescent cells with brief optical pulses in a mirrored biconcave microcavity, these authors demonstrate stimulation of emission of bright directional laser beams without affecting cell viability. They submit that the concept could enable new techniques for cellular and tissue imaging.

Fluorescent probes for sensing and imaging. T. Ueno, T. Nagano, Nature Methods, 8, 642-645 (2011), The authors describe the diverse array of small molecule-based fluorescent probes that are available for biological experiments. They describe the history of these probes and discuss some of the most interesting applications.