How do I creat a hardware contol interface?

I would like to generate a GUI-based for contol of a spectra physics laser. I had a VI that ran in Labview but i would like to switch over to matlab. The laser cntroller is old and uses serial port communication that runs through a serial prot emulator from sealink.

I need to send instruction to th laer that are simple - turn on to emit; change power; turn off.

How do i do this?