SINGLE-ROOM OCCUPANCY: This 48-well microfluidic chip for single-cell genomics consists of a layer of “control” lines (red) that actuate “gates” in the flow channels (blue and red) to position cells in individual chambers for lysis and DNA amplification (green).COURTESY OF BRIAN HEDLUNDMicrofluidics, the science of moving and manipulating nanoliter or microliter volumes through micron-scale channels, is playing an increasingly outsize role in the life sciences. For some researchers, microfluidics holds the key to low-cost diagnostics. Others use the technology to evaluate the quality of nucleic acid preparations or to drive targeted DNA sequencing. But for an ever-larger pool of researchers, microfluidics offers a way to reduce biology to a fundamental unit, the cell.
“The scale is the right match,” explains David Weitz, professor of physics and applied physics at Harvard University. “Microfluidic chips are meant to manipulate cubic microns of fluid, and a cell is some number of cubic microns in size.”
Some researchers use those chips to study cell behavior; others are interested in the macromolecular composition of the cells themselves. In either case, the technology is relatively straightforward. Yet many nonexperts can be intimidated by microfluidics, says Weitz, and some new equipment may well be required. For many, it’s probably easier to collaborate with an expert.
Still, if you’re game to try, the advantages of microfluidics could well outweigh the growing pains and expense. The Scientist asked four researchers about their strategies for taking biology to ...
