Measuring deformability of a cell
An example method for measuring deformability of a cell, consistent with the present disclosure, includes detecting a single cell of a biologic sample in a cell probing chamber of a microfluidic device. The method includes isolating the cell in the cell probing chamber of the microfluidic device by terminating the flow of the biologic sample through the microfluidic device. The method further includes causing deformation of the cell by introducing ultrasonic waves into the cell probing chamber, and measuring deformability of the cell responsive to the introduction of the ultrasonic waves.
1 . An apparatus, comprising:
a fluidic channel actuated by a set of fluidic pumps;
a cell probing chamber disposed in the fluidic channel, wherein the cell probing chamber is to hold a single cell from a biologic sample for deformation testing; and
an ultrasound source acoustically coupled to the cell probing chamber through a via coupled with the cell probing chamber, the ultrasound source configured to perform deformation testing on the cell by applying, through the via, a pressure field to the cell in the cell probing chamber,
wherein the via is formed through a silicon top layer of the apparatus, the via to fill with an aqueous acoustic transmission medium and terminating at the cell probing chamber without extending into a base layer of the apparatus.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound source includes a plurality of piezoelectric actuators disposed on opposing ends of the fluidic channel.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further including an ultrasound controller communicatively coupled to the ultrasound source to control a frequency of the ultrasound waves applied to the cell.
4 . An apparatus, comprising:
a lateral fluidic channel and a longitudinal fluidic channel disposed orthogonal to the lateral fluidic channel, wherein each of the lateral fluidic channel and the longitudinal fluidic channel are actuated by a different respective set of fluidic pumps;
a cell probing chamber disposed at an intersection of the lateral fluidic channel and the longitudinal fluidic channel, wherein the cell probing chamber is to hold a single cell from a biologic sample for deformation testing;
an ultrasound source acoustically coupled to the cell probing chamber through a via coupled with the cell probing chamber, the ultrasound source configured to perform deformation testing on the cell by applying, through the via, a pressure field to the cell in the cell probing chamber; and
a plurality of channels fluidically coupled to the cell probing chamber to sort cells after deformation testing.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cell probing chamber includes a barrier to contain the cell, the barrier including two pillars disposed orthogonal to a flow of the biologic sample, a pillar trap disposed orthogonal to the flow of the biologic sample, a funnel disposed orthogonal to the flow of the biologic sample, a depression in a substrate of the cell probing chamber, a wall disposed orthogonal to the flow of the biologic sample, or combinations thereof.
6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , including a plurality of electrodes disposed in a substrate of the cell probing chamber, the plurality of electrodes to hold the cell in the cell probing chamber by dielectrophoresis.
7 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cell probing chamber includes a laser optical system to form a single-beam gradient force trap to hold the cell in the cell probing chamber.
8 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the lateral fluidic channel, the longitudinal fluidic channel, and the cell probing chamber include a transparent lid disposed over a base substrate to form a channel therethrough.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further including an integrated lens disposed on the transparent lid of the cell probing chamber, the integrated lens to focus light from a sensor array on the cell in the cell probing chamber.
10 . The apparatus of claim 4 , further including a plurality of diagonal channels fluidically coupled to the cell probing chamber, each diagonal channel including a fluidic pump to direct a flow of the biologic sample through the apparatus.