Abstract
Multiomics studies at single-cell level require small volume manipulation, high throughput analysis, and multiplexed detection, characteristics that droplet microfluidics can tackle. However, the initial step of molecule bioseparation remains challenging. Here, we describe a unique magnetic device to trap and extract magnetic particles in sub-nanoliter droplets, for compartmentalisation of detection steps. Relying on electrodeposition of NiFe structures and microfluidic manipulation, the extraction of 1 μm diameter magnetic particles was achieved at high throughput (20 droplets per second) with an efficiency close to 100% in 450 pL droplets. The first demonstration of its adaptability to single-cell analysis is demonstrated with the extraction of mRNA. Using a purified nucleic acid solution, this unique magnetic configuration was able to reach a RNA extraction rate of 72%. This is the first demonstration of a physical separation in droplets at high throughput at single-cell scale.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge all members of the IPGG technological platform for their help with microfabrication, especially Olivier Lesage for his support in photolithography and sputtering and Bertrand Cinquin for EDX spectrometry. They also thank Koceila Aizel for support with electroplating, and Fanny Tabarin and Aude Battistella for training them on cell and molecular biology (Institut Curie, UMR168), David Hrabovsky (MPBT platform, Sorbonne University) for magnetometry measurements, and Olivier Lefebvre (C2N, Univ. Paris-Saclay) for helpful advice on electroplating. This work was supported by the Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (équipement d’excellence and LABEX, “Investissement d’avenir,” program ANR-10-EQPX-34). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skodowska-Curie grant agreement No 896313.
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Dumas, S., Alexandre, L., Richerd, M., Serra, M., Descroix, S. (2024). Magnetic Microtweezers for High-Throughput Bioseparation in Sub-Nanoliter Droplets. In: Taly, V., Descroix, S., Perez-Toralla, K. (eds) Microfluidics Diagnostics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2804. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3850-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3850-7_10
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