droplet microfluidics

With growing interest in single-cell sequencing, researchers are looking to increase the throughput while also reducing cost.

The aim of the project, called Metafluidics, is to replace cumbersome conventional approaches with a cheaper, faster, and higher-throughput microfluidics platform.

The technology uses DNAzyme-based sensors, fluorescent biomarkers, and a high-throughput particle counter to rapid identify rare targets in complex raw samples.

Researchers from the University of Michigan are beginning to use Drop-Seq to characterize human kidney cells.

After scrapping initial plans to develop a diagnostic instrument, the company has been working for several years to advance its single-cell droplet platform for targeted drug development.

The method simplifies previous techniques, and preliminary testing using a microfluidic device indicates it could ultimately be used in low-resource settings.

The firm discussed its technology, the NIST data, and data from some early customers in a webinar it hosted this week.

Both groups are making their detailed protocols available to researchers online.

The simple, semi-open format uses a microfluidics robot to generate an array of picoliter droplets on a reusable chip.