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Single-Cell Analysis pp 105–139Cite as

Droplet Microfluidics for Single-Cell Analysis

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 853))

Abstract

This book chapter aims at providing an overview of all the aspects and procedures needed to develop a droplet-based workflow for single-cell analysis (see Fig. 10.1). The surfactant system used to stabilize droplets is a critical component of droplet microfluidics; its properties define the type of droplet-based assays and workflows that can be developed. The scope of this book chapter is limited to fluorinated surfactant systems that have proved to generate extremely stable droplets and allow to easily retrieve the encapsulated material. The formulation section discusses how the experimental parameters influence the choice of the surfactant system to use. The circuit design section presents recipes to design and integrate different droplet modules into a whole assay. The fabrication section describes the manufacturing of microfluidic chip including the surface treatment which is pivotal in droplet microfluidics. Finally, the last section reviews the experimental setup for fluorescence detection with an emphasis on cell injection and incubation.

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Acknowledgments

I am greatly indebted to all my former colleagues from Raindance Technologies, particularly Dr Darren Link, for introducing me to droplet microfluidics. I would like to thank Professor Helmut Strey for useful discussions and Dr Phenix-Lan Quan for her great support. This research was supported by funds from The Center for Biotechnology, an Empire State Development, Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), Center for Advanced Technology and a grant from NIH-NHGRI (1 R21 HG006206-01)

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  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Eric Brouzes

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  1. Eric Brouzes
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Correspondence to Eric Brouzes .

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  1. POOLIA Sweden, Warfvinges väg 20, Stockholm, 104 25, Sweden

    Sara Lindström

  2. , Division of Nanobiotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden

    Helene Andersson-Svahn

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Brouzes, E. (2012). Droplet Microfluidics for Single-Cell Analysis. In: Lindström, S., Andersson-Svahn, H. (eds) Single-Cell Analysis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 853. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-567-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-567-1_10

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