Long-Term Stable and Multifeature Microfluidic Impedance Flow Cytometry Based on a Constricted Channel for...

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Microfluidics
• Cell Mechanics

Background:

• Microfluidic impedance flow cytometry (m-IFC) offers high-throughput single-cell mechanical property measurement.
• Constricted microchannels in m-IFC are prone to cell blockage, limiting system stability and throughput.
• Single quantitative indices are insufficient for comprehensive single-cell mechanical characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable, multi-feature m-IFC for detailed single-cell mechanical phenotyping.
• To address the channel clogging issue in m-IFC systems.
• To capture multiple mechanical features during cell passage through a constricted channel.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of xanthan gum (XG) polymers to prevent microchannel clogging.
• Design of a long-constricted microchannel with six detection regions.
• High-throughput impedance measurements of single cells passing through the m-IFC.

Main Results:

• The m-IFC demonstrated clog-free operation at 500 μL/h flow rate, achieving high throughput (~240 cells/sec) and stability (~2 hours).
• Six detection regions captured multiple cell passage features (creep, friction, relaxation).
• Perturbed cytoskeletal cells showed distinct multi-feature profiles, indicating sensitivity to mechanical changes.

Conclusions:

• The developed multi-feature m-IFC provides clog-free, high-throughput, and stable single-cell mechanical phenotyping.
• The extracted multi-feature data offers comprehensive insights into cellular mechanical transformations.
• This technology is extendable for cost-effective, non-destructive, real-time mechanical analysis of various cell types.