Single cell fluorescence in situ hybridization in microfluidic droplets

1. A method for detecting nucleic acid expression in a single cell, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a fluorescence imaging microscope and a microfluidic device capable of forming an array of aqueous microdroplets in oil, the device comprising first and second translucent microdroplet array chambers;

(b) preparing a plurality of first aqueous microdroplets in an oil phase using the microfluidic device, each microdroplet comprising one or more cells, and transporting the plurality of aqueous microdroplets into the first microdroplet array chamber;

(c) analyzing an activity of the one or more cells of each first microdroplet in the array chamber using the fluorescence imaging microscope for a period of time; wherein the activity comprises a change over said period of time of one or more of the following: an effect of a therapeutic agent on a cell, cell shape or size, a cell-cell interaction, a cell-cell communication, translation of a protein, an immunoregulation, secretion of a factor from a cell, an activity of an immune cell, an antigen specificity of a cell, a cell interaction with a polymer scaffold or with an extracellular matrix component, cell activation, cell viability, cell growth, cell proliferation, cell development, and cell motility;

(d) transporting the first microdroplets out of the array chamber and through a microdroplet merging device, where the first microdroplets are individually merged with second microdroplets containing a biocompatible matrix precursor to form a plurality of third microdroplets;

(e) transporting the third microdroplets into the second microdroplet array chamber and causing the matrix precursor to form a biocompatible matrix embedding one or more cells within each third microdroplet;

(f) fixing and permeabilizing the cells embedded within the plurality of third microdroplets;

(g) incubating the third microdroplets with one or more fluorescently-labeled oligonucleotide probes, and analyzing expression of a gene and/or protein related to the change of the activity of step (c);

(h) detecting the oligonucleotide probes in individual cells within the third microdroplets in the second microdroplet array chamber using the fluorescence imaging microscope; and

(i) determining the expression of one or more nucleic acids in individual cells based on the detected oligonucleotide probes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid is mRNA.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biocompatible matrix is selected from the group consisting of agarose, alginate, and hydrophilic polymers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are non-adherent cells.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises two or more types of cells.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one type of cell is an immune cell and at least one type of cell is a tumor cell.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more additional reagents are added to the aqueous microdroplets after their formation using a droplet merging junction.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the additional reagents is an antitumor agent.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises simultaneous analysis of at least 1000 aqueous microdroplets.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises simultaneous analysis of at least 4000 aqueous microdroplets.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein aqueous microdroplets are sorted and routed to a selected fluidic pathway, chamber, or off-device location, according to an optical signal detected in the aqueous microdroplets.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (a) to (h) are performed in 10 hours or less.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (f) further comprises a dehydration step.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detection of a protein species by antibody staining.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activity analyzed in step (c) is cytotoxicity.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein quantitative analysis of gene expression in two or more cells is obtained following analysis of interaction of the two or more cells within a microdroplet in step (c).

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the method comprises simultaneous analysis of at least 1000 groups of two or more interacting cells.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the method comprises simultaneous analysis of at least 4000 groups of two or more interacting cells.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein one of the two or more interacting cells is an immune cell and another of the two or more interacting cells is a tumor cell.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the immune cell is an NK cell.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein immune cells and tumor cells are present in a ratio from 1:1 to 1:10.

22. A microfluidic device for detecting nucleic acid expression in a single cell, the device comprising:

a first inlet for an oil and a second inlet for a first aqueous suspension of cells, wherein the first inlet is fluidically connected to a first microchannel and the second inlet fluidically connected to a second microchannel;

a nozzle formed by a T-shaped intersection of the first and second microchannels, the nozzle capable of producing a plurality of first aqueous microdroplets suspended in the oil, the first aqueous microdroplets comprising the cells;

a first microdroplet array chamber having a first end fluidically connected to the nozzle and operative to capture and display each of the first microdroplets in a first sequential order in the first microdroplet array chamber, a second end fluidically connected to an inlet end of a droplet merging junction comprising an expansion region upstream and a constricted neck downstream fluidically connected to an outlet end, and a translucent window configured to allow imaging of first microdroplets in the first microdroplet array chamber;

a second microdroplet array chamber, fluidically connected to the outlet end of the droplet merging junction;

a third inlet for an aqueous reagent solution, the third inlet connected to the inlet end of the droplet merging junction and configured to provide one or more reagents in a plurality of second aqueous microdroplets;

wherein the droplet merging junction is configured to merge the first and second microdroplets, one-by-one, resulting in formation of a plurality of third microdroplets, wherein each third microdroplet is formed by the merger of a single first microdroplet with a single second microdroplet;

wherein the device is configured to transport the third microdroplets from the outlet end of the droplet merging junction to the second microdroplet array chamber and to capture and display the third microdroplets in a second sequential order in the second microdroplet array chamber; and

wherein the second sequential order of third microdroplets in the second microdroplet array chamber replicates a first sequential order of first microdroplets in the first microdroplet array chamber.

23. A system for detecting nucleic acid expression in a single cell, the system comprising:

the microfluidic device of claim 22 ;

a fluorescence imaging microscope; and

optionally, an imaging device for forming images of cells in microdroplets in the microfluidic device using the fluorescence imaging microscope; and

optionally, a computer for recording and/or analyzing the images of cells.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activity analyzed in step (c) is an activity of a cancer-associated immune cell, immunoregulation by a cytotoxic lymphocyte, an activity of an NK cell, antigen specificity of a T cell, an interaction between a T cell and a target cell, serial interactions between a cell pair, synapse formation between an NK cell and a target cell, an interaction between an effector cell and an antigen-presenting cell, an interaction between an effector cell and a target cell.