A microfluidic device for single cell isolation from rare samples

Increasing evidence has shown that heterogeneity in physiology and pathology have important implications for the treatment of human diseases. Single cell isolation and characterization studies are crucial for unlocking the complex regulation pathways underlying various diseases like cancer. However, to date single cell isolation still faces many challenges, especially in processing rare samples. Here, we present a novel microfluidic array chip for single cell isolation for rare samples. Our design exempts the use of long tubing, thus decreases cell loss from dead volume and allows for more accurate control of flow rate using syringe pumps during the cell capture process. Our data showed that the device significantly improved single cell capture efficiency (∼ 60 %) from small numbers of (50–500) cells in a small volume (5-10 µL). The device could be used for isolating single cells from rare samples of clinical specimens, thus potentially benefit disease diagnosis and therapy.