Microfluidic Device Created For Genetic Analysis

The device, which is about the size of a nine-volt battery, allows simultaneously analysis of 300 individual cells by routing fluid carrying cells through microscopic tubes and valves.

Scientists at the University of British Columbia, (UBC; Vancouver, BC, Canada) isolated the cells into their separate chambers, and then extracted and replicated the cells' ribonucleic acid (RNA) for further analysis. The device's ease of use and cost-effectiveness arise from its integration of almost the entire process of cell analysis, not just separating the cells, but also mixing them with chemical reagents to highlight their genetic code and analyzing the results by measuring fluorescent light emitted from the reaction. All of that can now be done on the chip.

The fully integrated microfluidic device is capable of performing high-precision real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) measurements of gene expression from hundreds of single cells per run. The device executes all steps of single-cell processing, including cell capture, cell lysis, reverse transcription, and quantitative PCR. By enabling such "single-cell analysis," the device could accelerate genetic research and hasten the use of far more detailed tests for diagnosing cancer. The standard genetic tests, which require large numbers of cells, capture only an average composite picture of thousands or millions of different cells that may obscure their true nature and the interactions between them.

Carl Hansen, PhD, an assistant professor at UCB said, "This technology and other approaches like it could radically change the way we do both basic and applied biomedical research, and would make single-cell analysis a more plausible option for treating patients, allowing clinicians to distinguish various cancers from one another and tailor their treatments accordingly." The study was published August 1, 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

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