Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Inertial Frames of Reference01:03

Inertial Frames of Reference

8.8K
Newton’s first law is usually considered to be a statement about reference frames. It provides a method for identifying a special type of reference frame: the inertial reference frame. In principle, we can make the net force on a body zero. If its velocity relative to a given frame is constant, then that frame is said to be inertial. So, by definition, an inertial reference frame is a reference frame where Newton's first law holds valid. Newton's first law applies to objects with...
8.8K
Non-inertial Frames of Reference01:27

Non-inertial Frames of Reference

7.2K
A reference frame accelerating or decelerating relative to an inertial frame is a non-inertial frame. To help understand this, consider what taking off in an airplane, turning a corner in a car, riding a merry-go-round, and the circular motion of a tropical cyclone all have in common. All these systems are accelerating, decelerating, or rotating relative to the Earth; hence, they all are non-inertial frames. All these systems exhibit inertial forces, which merely seem to arise from motion,...
7.2K
Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets01:17

Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets

4.7K
Transmission-based precautions are for patients known to be infected or suspected to be infected or colonized with organisms that pose a significant risk to others. Some transmission-based precautions include contact, enteric, and droplet.
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
4.7K
Cell Size01:22

Cell Size

129.2K
Cell sizes vary widely among and within organisms. Bacterial cells range between 1-10 micrometers (μm)and are considerably smaller than most eukaryotic cells. The smallest bacteria are 0.1 μm in diameter—about a thousand times smaller than eukaryotic cells, which typically range from 10-100 μm.
Surface Area
Cells can take in nutrients and water via diffusion through the plasma membrane itself or through specific channels in the membrane. The area of the membrane surrounding...
129.2K
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

9.2K
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
9.2K
Mitochondrial Protein Sorting01:39

Mitochondrial Protein Sorting

5.8K
Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles of the eukaryotes involved in cellular metabolism, signaling, ATP synthesis, and programmed cell death.  Each of these processes requires specific proteins and enzymes that must be correctly sorted to the right mitochondrial subcompartment for the proper functioning of the organelle.
Most of these mitochondrial proteins are encoded by the nucleus and imported to the mitochondria as unfolded or loosely folded precursors. Mitochondrial precursors...
5.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Bottom-Up Absorptive and Stretchable Plasmonic Tape for Field-Deployable In Vivo Fruit Safety Surveillance.

ACS sensors·2026
Same author

Associating the phenotypic expression of platelets with disease type through image-based single-cell profiling.

Thrombosis research·2026
Same author

Mapping and engineering the human cell-cell interactome.

Nature biotechnology·2026
Same author

Autonomous Uncertainty Quantification for Computational Point-of-Care Sensors.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

High-speed fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy: techniques, applications, and prospects.

Biophotonics discovery·2026
Same author

Universal Nanovial Screening Enables Functional Discovery of Metabolite-Reactive T-Cell Receptors for Cancer Therapy.

ACS nano·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 7, 2026

A Pipette-Tip Based Method for Seeding Cells to Droplet Microfluidic Platforms
06:50

A Pipette-Tip Based Method for Seeding Cells to Droplet Microfluidic Platforms

Published on: February 11, 2019

11.9K

Size-based sorting of hydrogel droplets using inertial microfluidics.

Ming Li1, Mark van Zee, Keisuke Goda

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. dicarlo@seas.ucla.edu.

Lab on a Chip
|July 27, 2018
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a microfluidic device that sorts hydrogel droplets by size using inertial forces. This method efficiently separates cell-laden droplets from empty ones for biological applications.

More Related Videos

A Versatile Kit Based on Digital Microfluidics Droplet Actuation for Science Education
05:46

A Versatile Kit Based on Digital Microfluidics Droplet Actuation for Science Education

Published on: April 26, 2021

5.3K
High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices
10:22

High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices

Published on: September 2, 2009

14.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 7, 2026

A Pipette-Tip Based Method for Seeding Cells to Droplet Microfluidic Platforms
06:50

A Pipette-Tip Based Method for Seeding Cells to Droplet Microfluidic Platforms

Published on: February 11, 2019

11.9K
A Versatile Kit Based on Digital Microfluidics Droplet Actuation for Science Education
05:46

A Versatile Kit Based on Digital Microfluidics Droplet Actuation for Science Education

Published on: April 26, 2021

5.3K
High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices
10:22

High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices

Published on: September 2, 2009

14.2K

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

  • Hydrogel droplets are versatile tools in biological and medical research.
  • Monodisperse hydrogel droplets are crucial for controlled experiments and quantitative assays.
  • Current methods for droplet manipulation often lack high throughput and continuous operation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop an inertial microfluidic device for passive, continuous, and high-throughput size-based sorting of hydrogel droplets.
  • To apply this sorting technique for isolating cell-laden hydrogel droplets from empty ones.
  • To demonstrate the recovery of viable cells from sorted hydrogel droplets.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an inertial microfluidic device leveraging shear-gradient lift and wall-effect lift forces for size-dependent droplet focusing.
  • Developed a continuous flow system for passive sorting of hydrogel droplets.
  • Applied the device to separate hydrogel droplets containing Euglena gracilis (E. gracilis) from empty droplets.

Main Results:

  • Achieved high-throughput, passive sorting of hydrogel droplets based on their size.
  • Successfully isolated smaller, cell-laden hydrogel droplets (containing E. gracilis) from larger, empty droplets.
  • Obtained cell-laden hydrogel droplets with up to 93.6% purity and an enrichment factor of 5.51.
  • Demonstrated recovery of viable E. gracilis cells from the sorted hydrogel droplets.

Conclusions:

  • Inertial microfluidics offers an effective method for size-based hydrogel droplet sorting.
  • This technique enables efficient isolation of cell-containing hydrogel droplets for biological studies.
  • The developed device facilitates downstream cell recovery with high viability, supporting applications in cell analysis and biomaterial development.