On-Demand Lensless Single Cell Imaging Activated by Differential Resistive Pulse Sensing

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Accurate single cell analysis is crucial for diagnostics.
• Existing methods can be inefficient, generating many uninformative images.
• Portable and on-demand systems are needed for broader accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a portable system for on-demand single cell imaging.
• To integrate differential resistive pulse sensing with microfluidics and CMOS imaging.
• To demonstrate selective cell imaging based on size parameters.

Main Methods:

• A portable system integrating a microfluidic differential Coulter counter and a lensless CMOS imaging sensor was developed.
• Differential resistive pulse sensing was used to trigger image acquisition.
• The system was tested using microbeads and a mixture of red blood cells and HepG2 tumor cells.

Main Results:

• Dual parametric single cell analysis was achieved.
• On-demand single cell imaging was successfully demonstrated.
• The system selectively imaged cells within a specific size range, avoiding empty images.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers an efficient on-demand single cell imaging solution.
• This technique enhances selectivity and reduces data acquisition waste.
• The portable nature of the device allows for potential point-of-care applications.