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Wang Y, Wang Y, Wang X, Sun W, Yang F, Yao X, Pan T, Li B, Chu J. Label-free active single-cell encapsulation enabled by microvalve-based on-demand droplet generation and real-time image processing. Talanta 2024; 276:126299. [PMID: 38788384 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics-based single-cell encapsulation is a critical technology that enables large-scale parallel single-cell analysis by capturing and processing thousands of individual cells. As the efficiency of passive single-cell encapsulation is limited by Poisson distribution, active single-cell encapsulation has been developed to theoretically ensure that each droplet contains one cell. However, existing active single-cell encapsulation technologies still face issues related to fluorescence labeling and low throughput. Here, we present an active single-cell encapsulation technique by using microvalve-based drop-on-demand technology and real-time image processing to encapsulate single cells with high throughput in a label-free manner. Our experiments demonstrated that the single-cell encapsulation system can encapsulate individual polystyrene beads with 96.3 % efficiency and HeLa cells with 94.9 % efficiency. The flow speed of cells in this system can reach 150 mm/s, resulting in a corresponding theoretical encapsulation throughput of 150 Hz. This technology has significant potential in various biomedical applications, including single-cell omics, secretion detection, and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Wang
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Yousu Wang
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Fengrui Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Xuebiao Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles and Cellular Dynamics, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Tingrui Pan
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Baoqing Li
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
| | - Jiaru Chu
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China; Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
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Gupta P, Alheib O, Shin JW. Towards single cell encapsulation for precision biology and medicine. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 201:115010. [PMID: 37454931 PMCID: PMC10798218 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The primary impetus of therapeutic cell encapsulation in the past several decades has been to broaden the options for donor cell sources by countering against immune-mediated rejection. However, another significant advantage of encapsulation is to provide donor cells with physiologically relevant cues that become compromised in disease. The advances in biomaterial design have led to the fundamental insight that cells sense and respond to various signals encoded in materials, ranging from biochemical to mechanical cues. The biomaterial design for cell encapsulation is becoming more sophisticated in controlling specific aspects of cellular phenotypes and more precise down to the single cell level. This recent progress offers a paradigm shift by designing single cell-encapsulating materials with predefined cues to precisely control donor cells after transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prerak Gupta
- Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Omar Alheib
- 3B's Research Group, I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães 4805-017, Portugal
| | - Jae-Won Shin
- Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
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Zhang Y, Lin Y, Hong X, Di C, Xin Y, Wang X, Qi S, Liu BF, Zhang Z, Du W. Demand-driven active droplet generation and sorting based on positive pressure-controlled fluid wall. Anal Bioanal Chem 2023; 415:5311-5322. [PMID: 37392212 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-04806-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics is a rapidly advancing area of microfluidic technology, which offers numerous advantages for cell analysis, such as isolation and accumulation of signals, by confining cells within droplets. However, controlling cell numbers in droplets is challenging due to the uncertainty of random encapsulation which result in many empty droplets. Therefore, more precise control techniques are needed to achieve efficient encapsulation of cells within droplets. Here, an innovative microfluidic droplet manipulation platform had been developed, which employed positive pressure as a stable and controllable driving force for manipulating fluid within chips. The air cylinder, electro-pneumatics proportional valve, and the microfluidic chip were connected through a capillary, which enabled the formation of a fluid wall by creating a difference in hydrodynamic resistance between two fluid streams at the channel junction. Lowering the pressure of the driving oil phase eliminates hydrodynamic resistance and breaks the fluid wall. Regulating the duration of the fluid wall breakage controls the volume of the introduced fluid. Several important droplet microfluidic manipulations were demonstrated on this microfluidic platform, such as sorting of cells/droplets, sorting of droplets co-encapsulated cells and hydrogels, and active generation of droplets encapsulated with cells in a responsive manner. The simple, on-demand microfluidic platform was featured with high stability, good controllability, and compatibility with other droplet microfluidic technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Zhang
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yiwei Lin
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xianzhe Hong
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Chao Di
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yuelai Xin
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xinru Wang
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Shuhong Qi
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Bi-Feng Liu
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zhihong Zhang
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Wei Du
- The Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of MOE at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
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Zhang L, Parvin R, Chen M, Hu D, Fan Q, Ye F. High-throughput microfluidic droplets in biomolecular analytical system: A review. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 228:115213. [PMID: 36906989 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidic technology has revolutionized biomolecular analytical research, as it has the capability to reserve the genotype-to-phenotype linkage and assist for revealing the heterogeneity. Massive and uniform picolitre droplets feature dividing solution to the level that single cell and single molecule in each droplet can be visualized, barcoded, and analyzed. Then, the droplet assays can unfold intensive genomic data, offer high sensitivity, and screen and sort from a large number of combinations or phenotypes. Based on these unique advantages, this review focuses on up-to-date research concerning diverse screening applications utilizing droplet microfluidic technology. The emerging progress of droplet microfluidic technology is first introduced, including efficient and scaling-up in droplets encapsulation, and prevalent batch operations. Then the new implementations of droplet-based digital detection assays and single-cell muti-omics sequencing are briefly examined, along with related applications such as drug susceptibility testing, multiplexing for cancer subtype identification, interactions of virus-to-host, and multimodal and spatiotemporal analysis. Meanwhile, we specialize in droplet-based large-scale combinational screening regarding desired phenotypes, with an emphasis on sorting for immune cells, antibodies, enzymatic properties, and proteins produced by directed evolution methods. Finally, some challenges, deployment and future perspective of droplet microfluidics technology in practice are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexiang Zhang
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Rokshana Parvin
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Mingshuo Chen
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Dingmeng Hu
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Qihui Fan
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
| | - Fangfu Ye
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Tissue Repair Materials, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China; Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
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5
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Liu X, Zhu Y, Li C, Fang Y, Chen J, Xu F, Lu Y, Shum PP, Liu Y, Wang G. Single-cell HER2 quantification via instant signal amplification in microdroplets. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1251:340976. [PMID: 36925278 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.340976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Accurate and ultrasensitive evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein is key to early diagnosis and subtype differentiation of breast cancer. Single-cell analyses to reduce ineffective targeted therapies due to breast cancer heterogeneity and improve patient survival remain challenging. Herein, we reported a novel droplet microfluidic combined with an instant cation exchange signal amplification strategy for quantitative analysis of HER2 protein expression on single cells. In the 160 μm droplets produced by a tapered capillary bundle, abundant Immuno-CdS labeled on HER2-positive cells were replaced by Ag + to obtain Cd2+ that stimulated Rhod-5N fluorescence. This uniformly distributed and instantaneous fluorescence amplification strategy in droplets improves sensitivity and reduces signal fluctuation. Using HER2 modified PS microsphere to simulate single cells, we obtained a linear fitting of HER2-modified concentration and fluorescence intensity in microdroplets with the limit detection of 11.372 pg mL-1. Moreover, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 4.2-fold lower than the traditional immunofluorescence technique (2.89% vs 12.21%). The HER2 protein on SK-BR-3 cells encapsulated in droplets was subsequently quantified, ranging from 9862.954 pg mL-1 and 205.26 pg mL-1, equivalent to 9.795 × 106 and 2.038 × 105 protein molecules. This detection system provides a universal platform for single-cell sensitive quantitative analysis and contributes to the evaluation of HER2-positive tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxian Liu
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Integration of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Yifan Zhu
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Integration of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Caoxin Li
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Integration of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Yanyun Fang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Jinna Chen
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineer, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Fei Xu
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Yanqing Lu
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Perry Ping Shum
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineer, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ying Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China.
| | - Guanghui Wang
- College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Integration of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210009, China.
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Zhong J, Liang M, Tang Q, Ai Y. Selectable encapsulated cell quantity in droplets via label-free electrical screening and impedance-activated sorting. Mater Today Bio 2023; 19:100594. [PMID: 36910274 PMCID: PMC9999206 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell encapsulation in droplets has become a powerful tool in immunotherapy, medicine discovery, and single-cell analysis, thanks to its capability for cell confinement in picoliter volumes. However, the purity and throughput of single-cell droplets are limited by random encapsulation process, which resuts in a majority of empty and multi-cells droplets. Herein we introduce the first label-free selectable cell quantity encapsulation in droplets sorting system to overcome this problem. The system utilizes a simple and reliable electrical impedance based screening (98.9% of accuracy) integrated with biocompatible acoustic sorting to select single-cell droplets, achieving 90.3% of efficiency and up to 200 Hz of throughput, by removing multi-cells (∼60% of rejection) and empty droplets (∼90% of rejection). We demonstrate the use of the droplet sorting to improve the throughput of single-cell encapsulation by ∼9-fold compared to the conventional random encapsulation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Zhong
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Minhui Liang
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Qiang Tang
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials and Advanced Medical Devices, Faculty of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, 223003, China
| | - Ye Ai
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
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7
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Ang B, Sookram A, Devendran C, He V, Tuck K, Cadarso V, Neild A. Glass-embedded PDMS microfluidic device for enhanced concentration of nanoparticles using an ultrasonic nanosieve. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:525-533. [PMID: 36633124 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00802e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) driven devices typically employ polymeric microfluidic channels of low acoustic impedance mismatch to the fluid in contact, to allow precise control of the wave field. Several of these applications, however, can benefit from the implementation of an acoustically reflective surface at the microfluidic channel's ceiling to increase energy retention within the fluid and hence, performance of the device. In this work, we embed a glass insert at the ceiling of the PDMS microfluidic channel used in a SAW activated nanosieve, which utilises a microparticle resonance for enrichment of nanoparticles. Due to the system's independence of performance on channel geometry and wave field pattern, the glass-inserted device allowed for a 30-fold increase in flow rate, from 0.05 μl min-1 to 1.5 μL min-1, whilst maintaining high capture efficiencies of >90%, when compared to its previously reported design. This effectively enables the system to process larger volume samples, which typically is a main limitation of these type of devices. This work demonstrates a simple way to increase the performance and throughput of SAW-based devices, especially within systems that can benefit from the energy retention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Ang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
- Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Ankush Sookram
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
| | - Citsabehsan Devendran
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
| | - Vincent He
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
| | - Kellie Tuck
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Victor Cadarso
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
- Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia.
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8
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Richter ES, Link A, McGrath JS, Sparrow RW, Gantz M, Medcalf EJ, Hollfelder F, Franke T. Acoustic sorting of microfluidic droplets at kHz rates using optical absorbance. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 23:195-202. [PMID: 36472476 PMCID: PMC9764809 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00871h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics allows one to address the ever-increasing demand to screen large libraries of biological samples. Absorbance spectroscopy complements the golden standard of fluorescence detection by label free target identification and providing more quantifiable data. However, this is limited by speed and sensitivity. In this paper we increase the speed of sorting by including acoustofluidics, achieving sorting rates of target droplets of 1 kHz. We improved the device design for detection of absorbance using fibre-based interrogation of samples with integrated lenses in the microfluidic PDMS device for focusing and collimation of light. This optical improvement reduces the scattering and refraction artefacts, improving the signal quality and sensitivity. The novel design allows us to overcome limitations based on dielectrophoresis sorting, such as droplet size dependency, material and dielectric properties of samples. Our acoustic activated absorbance sorter removes the need for offset dyes or matching oils and sorts about a magnitude faster than current absorbance sorters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther S Richter
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT Glasgow, UK.
| | - Andreas Link
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT Glasgow, UK.
| | - John S McGrath
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT Glasgow, UK.
| | - Raymond W Sparrow
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT Glasgow, UK.
| | - Maximilian Gantz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Elliot J Medcalf
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Thomas Franke
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT Glasgow, UK.
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9
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Recent advances in microfluidic single-cell analysis and its applications in drug development. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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10
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Richard C, Devendran C, Ashtiani D, Cadarso VJ, Neild A. Acoustofluidic cell micro-dispenser for single cell trajectory control. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:3533-3544. [PMID: 35979941 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00216g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The precise manipulation of individual cells is a key capability for the study of single cell physiological characteristics or responses to stimuli. Currently, only large cell populations can be transferred with certainty using expensive and laborious flow cytometry platforms. However, when approaching small populations of cells, this task becomes increasingly challenging. Here, we report an effective acoustofluidic micro-dispenser, utilising surface acoustic waves (SAWs), with the ability to trap and release cells on demand, which when combined with an external valve can guide the trajectory of individual cells. We demonstrate single cell trap and release with a single cell trapping effectiveness of 74%, enabling the capability of dispensing a highly controlled amount of cells without any harmful effects. This device has the potential to be easily integrated into a wide range of analytical platforms for applications such as single cell fluorescent imaging and single cell proteomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Richard
- Laboratory for Micro Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
- Applied Micro- and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Citsabehsan Devendran
- Laboratory for Micro Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Dariush Ashtiani
- Laboratory for Micro Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Victor J Cadarso
- Applied Micro- and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Adrian Neild
- Laboratory for Micro Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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