Microfluidics

Microfluidic platforms for single cell analysis

Microfluidics, the study and control of the fluidic behavior in microstructures, has emerged as an important enabling tool for single-cell chemical analysis. The complex procedures for chemical cytometry experiments can be integrated into a single microfabricated device. The capability of handling a volume of liquid as small as picoliters can be utilized to manipulate cells, perform controlled chemical reactions, and efficiently minimize sample dilution after lysis. The microfluidic approach offers a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective tool for single-cell biology.
In a way to explore the advantages of this microenvironment for analysis of few to single cells the group has developed several designed microfluidic layout on a microfabricated chip, with channels, structures and cell trapping arrangements, connected to different inlets/outlets that feed specific reagents/growing/media/activators/ labels/cytotoxic etc. The system constructed overcome the limitation of the static approach, also it allows the experiment to be performed with very small quantities of reagents and cells, and will enable to get images (even fluorescent microscopy) in real time of the cells in each experimental step. The microfluidic chamber has been used for exploring the interaction of the animal or plant cells with specific agents (parasites) or labeled biomolecules, allowing an individualized characterization of the reaction.