Title Increasing fluid viscosity ensures consistent single-cell encapsulation /
Authors Pranauskaitė, Emilė ; Milkus, Valdemaras ; Ritmejeris, Justas ; Žilionis, Rapolas ; Mažutis, Linas
DOI 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05243
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Is Part of Analytical chemistry.. Washington : American Chemical Society. 2024, vol. 96, iss. 18, p. 6898-6905.. ISSN 0003-2700. eISSN 1520-6882
Abstract [eng] High-throughput single-cell analysis typically relies on the isolation of cells of interest in separate compartments for subsequent phenotypic or genotypic characterization. Using microfluidics, this is achieved by isolating individual cells in microdroplets or microwells. However, due to cell-to-cell variability in size, shape, and density, the cell capture efficiencies may vary significantly. This variability can negatively impact the measurements and introduce undesirable artifacts when trying to isolate and characterize heterogeneous cell populations. In this study, we show that single-cell isolation biases in microfluidics can be circumvented by increasing the viscosity of fluids in which cells are dispersed. At a viscosity of 40-50 cP (cP), the cell sedimentation is effectively reduced, resulting in a steady cell flow inside the microfluidics chip and consistent encapsulation in water-in-oil droplets over extended periods of time. This approach allows nearly all cells in a sample to be isolated with the same efficiency, irrespective of their type. Our results show that increased fluid viscosity, rather than cell-adjusted density, provides a more reliable approach to mitigate single-cell isolation biases.
Published Washington : American Chemical Society
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2024
CC license CC license description