Microfluidic Based Physical Approaches towards Single-Cell Intracellular Delivery and Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Delivering molecules into single cells is crucial for cell biology research, drug development, and diagnostics.
• Current bulk transfection methods lack efficiency and throughput for single-cell analysis.
• Understanding single-cell responses requires advanced intracellular delivery techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review microfluidic-based physical methods for single-cell intracellular delivery.
• To analyze the mechanisms, applications, and limitations of these methods.
• To discuss the prospects of single-cell transfection technologies.

Main Methods:

• Electroporation
• Mechanoporation
• Microinjection
• Sonoporation
• Optoporation
• Magnetoporation
• Thermoporation

Main Results:

• Microfluidic methods enable precise control over intracellular delivery at the single-cell level.
• These techniques demonstrate high transfection efficiency and cell viability.
• Various physical methods offer distinct advantages for specific applications.

Conclusions:

• Microfluidic physical methods are promising for advancing single-cell analysis and personalized medicine.
• Further research is needed to overcome existing limitations and optimize these technologies.
• Single-cell intracellular delivery is key to understanding cellular processes and developing novel therapeutics.