《Probing single cells using microfluidics》.pdf

Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 204, 85-101 (2012) THE EUROPEAN c EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag 2012 DOI: 10.1140/epjst/e2012-01554-x PHYSICAL JOURNAL SPECIAL TOPICS Review Probing single cells using flow in microfluidic devices a a b D. Qi , D.J. Hoelzle , and A.C. Rowat Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles 610 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA Received 23 December 2011 / Received in final form 22 February 2012 Published online 17 April 2012 Abstract. Enabling fluids to be manipulated on the micron-scale, microfluidic technologies have facilitated major advances in how we study cells. In this review, we highlight key developments in how flow in microfluidic devices is exploited to investigate the behavior of indi- vidual cells, from trapping and positioning single cells to probing cell deformability. Exploiting the properties of fluids and flow patterns in microchannels makes it possible to study large populations of single cells at micron-length scales with increased throughput and efficiency. 1 Introduction Flow is central to life: the transit of red blood cells through capillaries is critical for gas exchange; the spread of white blood cells is essential for immune function; stem cells, metastatic cancer cells, as well as drugs travel through the bloodstream, and their spread is critical in biomedical contexts ranging from stem cell therapeutics to cancer progression to drug delivery. Understanding how cells behave during flow and are distributed throughout the bodily network of arteries, veins, and capillaries has motivat