Physical Cytometry: Detecting Mass-Related Properties of Single Cells

Cell sorting based on pulse shapes from angle resolved detection of scattered light

Flow cytometry is a key technology for the analysis and sorting of cells or particles at high throughput. Conventional and current flow cytometry is primarily based on fluorescent stains to detect the cells of interest. However, such stains also have disadvantages, as their effect on cells must be carefully tested to avoid effects on the results of the experiments. Alternative approaches using imaging or other label-free techniques often require highly sophisticated setups, are commonly limited in resolution, and produce challenging amounts of data. Our technology exploits scattered light instead. The custom-built flow cytometry setup comprises a fiber array in forward scatter detection for angular resolution and captures the whole pulse shape with advanced signal processing. Thereby this setup enables cell analysis and sorting purely based on scattered light signals without the need for fluorescent labels. We demonstrate the feasibility of this cell sorting technology by sorting cell lines for their cell cycle stages based on scattered light. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to classify human peripheral blood T- and B-cell subsets.

Microfluidic characterization of single-cell biophysical properties and the applications in cancer diagnosis

Single-cell biophysical properties play a crucial role in regulating cellular physiological states and functions, demonstrating significant potential in the fields of life sciences and clinical diagnostics. Therefore, over the last few decades, researchers have developed various detection tools to explore the relationship between the biophysical changes of biological cells and human diseases. With the rapid advancement of modern microfabrication technology, microfluidic devices have quickly emerged as a promising platform for single-cell analysis offering advantages including high-throughput, exceptional precision, and ease of manipulation. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the recent advances in microfluidic analysis and detection systems for single-cell biophysical properties and their applications in the field of cancer. The working principles and latest research progress of single-cell biophysical property detection are first analyzed, highlighting the significance of electrical and mechanical properties. The development of data acquisition and processing methods for real-time, high-throughput, and practical applications are then discussed. Furthermore, the differences in biophysical properties between tumor and normal cells are outlined, illustrating the potential for utilizing single-cell biophysical properties for tumor cell identification, classification, and drug response assessment. Lastly, we summarize the limitations of existing microfluidic analysis and detection systems in single-cell biophysical properties, while also pointing out the prospects and future directions of their applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment.