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High-Throughput Single-Cell TCR-pMHC Dissociation Rate Measurements Performed by an Autonomous Microfluidic Cellular
Fabien Jammes1, Julien Schmidt2, George Coukos2
1Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
ACS Sensors
|January 10, 2022
Summary
We created a microfluidic cellular processing unit (mCPU) for high-throughput single-cell analysis. This system autonomously isolates, analyzes, and recovers cells, characterizing T cell interactions efficiently.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Immunology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Characterizing cell-surface interactions is crucial for understanding immune responses.
- Existing methods for single-cell analysis can be low-throughput and labor-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an automated microfluidic platform for single-cell isolation, analysis, and recovery.
- To characterize T cell receptor (TCR) and peptide-MHC (pMHC) interactions at the single-cell level.
Main Methods:
- Development of an integrated microfluidic cellular processing unit (mCPU).
- Autonomous isolation of single cells and on-the-fly analysis of cell-surface dissociation rates.
- High-throughput single-cell experiments on live CD8+ T cells characterizing pMHC-TCR interactions.
Main Results:
- The mCPU platform achieved a throughput of 50 cells per hour, analyzing hundreds of cells per run.
- Demonstrated autonomous isolation, measurement of dissociation rates, and selection of specific cells.
- Successfully recovered selected cells from the microfluidic device post-analysis.
Conclusions:
- The developed mCPU enables efficient, high-throughput single-cell analysis of cell-surface interactions.
- This platform facilitates the study of critical immunological processes like TCR-pMHC binding.
- The ability to select and recover cells opens avenues for further functional studies and therapeutic development.
