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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
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A Label-free Technique for the Spatio-temporal Imaging of Single Cell Secretions
Published on: November 23, 2015
Single cell epitaxy by acoustic picolitre droplets
Utkan Demirci1, Grace Montesano
1Bio-Acoustic-MEMS in Medicine Laboratory, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. udemirci@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Lab on a Chip
|August 24, 2007
Summary
Acoustic droplet ejection enables precise, high-viability single-cell encapsulation for applications in tissue engineering and diagnostics. This nozzleless technology achieves high throughput, advancing biological and health science research.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Cell biology
- Bioengineering
Background:
- Precise single-cell manipulation is crucial for tissue engineering, high-throughput screening, and diagnostics.
- Existing methods often face limitations in viability, precision, or throughput.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a nozzleless acoustic droplet ejection technology for precise single-cell encapsulation.
- To assess the viability and adaptability of this technology across various cell types and biological fluids.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a gentle acoustic field to eject single to few cells from an open pool into picolitre droplets.
- Encapsulated diverse cell types (stem cells, hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, etc.) in PBS and agarose hydrogels.
- Operated the system at droplet ejection rates from 1 to 10,000 droplets per second.
Main Results:
- Achieved encapsulation of single or few cells with micrometer precision and high viability (>89.8%).
- Demonstrated successful cell printing in various biological fluids, including agarose hydrogels.
- Validated the technology across multiple cell types, including primary and immortalized cell lines.
Conclusions:
- Acoustic droplet ejection offers a high-throughput, gentle, and precise method for single-cell encapsulation.
- The technology has broad applicability in tissue engineering, diagnostics, single-cell analysis, and regenerative medicine.
- This advancement holds potential for widespread impact on high-throughput biological and health science applications.
