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Updated: May 24, 2026

An Integrated Raman Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Platform to Study Single-Cell Drug Uptake, Metabolism, and Effects
Published on: January 9, 2020
Towards single-cell analysis for pharmacokinetics
Yong Luo1, Chang Liu, Yueyang Qu
1School of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024s, China.
Abstract:
Traditional 'macroscopic' pharmacokinetics (PK) investigates the fate of drugs or toxicants administered externally to living organisms, described by the extent and rate of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. However, how a single cell affects a specific pharmaceutical after administration still remains a largely untouched area, primarily due to the technical restrictions imposed by minute amounts of chemicals involved. With the fast development of high-temporal and spatial-resolution detection techniques and single-cell handling techniques, it becomes possible to pursue single-cell PK. This review summarizes useful methodological and experimental techniques to investigate PK at the level of the single cell, including the microfluidics-based single-cell manipulation and the MS and electrochemical methods for single-cell analysis.
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