Droplet Control Technologies in Single Cell Applications

Microfluidics is the study of fluid flow at the sub-millimeter scale. Over recent years, microfluidics has grown to be a prominent research field owing to the wide spectrum of potential applications it offers. A subset of microfluidics is the study of multiphase flows in which droplets are dispersed in a carrier medium. Droplets are chemically and physically isolated from one another acting as individual reaction vessels. These systems promise accurate control of droplet volumes, single-cell analysis capabilities, repeatable and reliable droplet manipulation, high throughput capability and automation. However, these systems are enclosed and usually planar therefore even some of the most straightforward laboratory methods can prove challenging to replicate on chip. In this talk, we will first look at methods to manipulate droplets inside the chip with a focus on making use of electrodes (surface acoustic waves, dielectrophoresis). Finally, I will present findings on single cell specific applications such as characterisation, encapsulation, and enrichment.