This dissertation describes the development of a microtechnical gripping system for the handling and mechanical analysis of biological samples with microscopic dimensions. A key aspect is the material processing by femtosecond laser ablation and the characterization of the damaging influences of the method. Both the actuator material used for the gripper drive and the biological tissue are characterized by high temperature sensitivity. Therefore, ultrashort pulse laser ablation is examined as the processing method. A manufacturing process for shape memory drives is established. The effect of different process parameters on the shape memory properties as well as relevant parameters of the resulting actuators are described. An ablation process with negligible damage with a processing time of about 3 min per actuator is presented and a method of conditioning the actuators to stabilize the actuator behavior is proposed. An important result of this work is the integration of planar shape memory actuators into silicon microsystems at wafer level. The approach enables parallelization of the system production with shape memory actuators and pre-stretching of the shape memory elements in a parallel process. In addition, the manufacturing process for silicon grippers with integrated force sensors and an alternative manufacturing process for force-sensitive microgrippers with buried channels for immobilization and puncture of biological cells is investigated. In the context of the dissection of muscle tissue samples with microscopic dimensions using femtosecond laser ablation, process parameters for gentle processing of the material are determined. Irradiation-induced damage is investigated and procedures for the dissection of muscle fibers and fiber bundles are developed.