Automating life science labs at the single-cell level through precise ultrasonic liquid sample ejection: PULSE

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Laboratory Automation

Background:

• Laboratory automation has transformed research, but single-cell automation remains limited due to handling challenges.
• Precise and biocompatible manipulation of small cellular dimensions is crucial for advanced research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel single-cell laboratory automation solution using precise ultrasonic liquid sample ejection technology.
• To demonstrate the capability of this technology for biofabrication, precision gating, and deterministic array barcoding.

Main Methods:

• Developed and utilized precise ultrasonic liquid sample ejection technology (PULSE) for acoustic printing of nanodrops and single cells.
• Configured experiments on microscale test-tube matrices, transforming titer plates into microdroplet arrays.
• Assessed cell printing speed, accuracy, viability, and barcoding accuracy in experiments.

Main Results:

• PULSE enables programmable, scalable, and biocompatible printing of single cells at 5-20 cells/s with 90.5-97.7% accuracy.
• Printed cells maintained integrity and viability for up to 72 hours.
• Achieved 95.6% barcoding accuracy with 2.7% barcode hopping in deterministic barcoding experiments.

Conclusions:

• The PULSE platform provides a powerful tool for automating single-cell level experiments, enabling higher resolution and more relevant data.
• This technology facilitates precise and dynamic analyses, advancing biomedical research.
• PULSE overcomes limitations of traditional pipetting robots for single-cell applications.