Microfluidics for Single Cell Detection and Cell Sorting

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "B:Biology and Biomedicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 6621

Special Issue Editors

Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: microfluidics; biosensors; biomedical engineering; flow cytometry; bioinformatics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Institute of Medical Equipment Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: microfluidics; microsystems; spectral imaging flow cytometry; interoperative OCT; diffractive optics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, advances in single-cell detection and sorting have emerged as a promising technology to revolutionize a wide range of biomedical applications, including microfluidic fluorescent-activated cell sorting and droplet microfluidics. Their biomedical applications in high-throughput screening and multi-omics will surely encourage even more promise, with new concepts and commercial products continuing to be introduced.

This Special Issue spotlights innovative microfluidic technologies, with particular emphasis on their role in the detection, analysis, and sorting of single cells. The content will explore innovative designs of microfluidic devices, novel materials, new mechanism, and integrated systems that boost the precision and efficiency of cell detection and sorting, which is crucial for advancing single cell research. Specific topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) the latest methodologies in design, fabrication, and modeling of microfluidic chips for cell detection and sorting; (2) the exploration of novel approaches for cell detection, manipulation, and sorting, using a variety of mechanisms; and (3) the application of microfluidic technologies in clinical and biological research, environmental and ecological studies.

We will feature research articles, reviews, and communications that highlight breakthroughs in cell screening, disease diagnostics, and therapeutic applications, showcasing the transformative impact of microfluidics on life sciences and bioengineering. We invite researchers, academics, and professionals to contribute their work and engage in dialogue with the wider community.

Dr. Zhen Cheng
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Zhao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • microfluidics
  • lab-on-a-chip
  • microsystems
  • optofluidic
  • microfluidic flow cytometer
  • biosensor
  • actuator
  • single-cell detection
  • single-cell imaging
  • mass spectrometry
  • spectral analyzer
  • impedance cytometer
  • fluorescent-activated cell sorting
  • image-activated cell sorting
  • dielectrophoresis
  • acoustophoresis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3223 KiB  
Article
Designing Microfluidic-Chip Filtration with Multiple Channel Networks for the Highly Efficient Sorting of Cell Particles
by Myung-Suk Chun
Micromachines 2024, 15(12), 1474; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15121474 - 5 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1130
Abstract
Microfluidic-chip based hydrodynamic filtration is one of the passive sorting techniques that can separate cell or particle suspensions into subpopulations of different sizes. As the branch channels and side channels play an important role in maintaining particle focusing, their rational design is necessary [...] Read more.
Microfluidic-chip based hydrodynamic filtration is one of the passive sorting techniques that can separate cell or particle suspensions into subpopulations of different sizes. As the branch channels and side channels play an important role in maintaining particle focusing, their rational design is necessary for highly efficient sorting. A model framework involving multiple side and multiple branch channels has been developed by extending the analytical analysis of three-dimensional laminar flow in channel networks, which was previously validated by comparison with numerical simulations. Objective parameters were identified as the number of branch channels and each length of individual branches. The presence of multiple side channels causes an increase in the average fluid velocity in main and branch channels as the branch point shifts toward the end of the main channel, which differs from the behavior observed in a single side channel. The number of branches and their individual lengths decrease distinctly in the case of branch channels consisting of narrow and wide sections, which enables the compact design of a microfluidic-chip, being operated by a lower pressure drop under the same throughput. Sorting of bidisperse particles was accomplished with an optimally designed chip to verify this framework by achieving very high recovery and purity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Single Cell Detection and Cell Sorting)
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Review

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34 pages, 5213 KiB  
Review
Organ-on-a-Chip Applications in Microfluidic Platforms
by Ling An, Yi Liu and Yaling Liu
Micromachines 2025, 16(2), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16020201 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 2711
Abstract
Microfluidic technology plays a crucial role in organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems by replicating human physiological processes and disease states, significantly advancing biomedical research and drug discovery. This article reviews the design and fabrication processes of microfluidic devices. It also explores how these technologies are [...] Read more.
Microfluidic technology plays a crucial role in organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems by replicating human physiological processes and disease states, significantly advancing biomedical research and drug discovery. This article reviews the design and fabrication processes of microfluidic devices. It also explores how these technologies are integrated into OoC platforms to simulate human physiological environments, highlighting key principles, technological advances, and diverse applications. Through case studies involving the simulation of multiple organs such as the heart, liver, and lungs, the article evaluates the impact of OoC systems’ integrated microfluidic technology on drug screening, toxicity assessment, and personalized medicine. In addition, this article considers technical challenges, ethical issues, and future directions, and looks ahead to further optimizing the functionality and biomimetic precision of OoCs through innovation, emphasizing its critical role in promoting personalized medicine and precision treatment strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Single Cell Detection and Cell Sorting)
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20 pages, 3252 KiB  
Review
Nanoscale Extracellular Vesicle-Enabled Liquid Biopsy: Advances and Challenges for Lung Cancer Detection
by Adeel Khan, Faisal Raza and Nongyue He
Micromachines 2024, 15(10), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15101181 - 24 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
Lung cancer is responsible for the death of over a million people worldwide every year. With its high mortality rate and exponentially growing number of new cases, lung cancer is a major threat to public health. The high mortality and poor survival rates [...] Read more.
Lung cancer is responsible for the death of over a million people worldwide every year. With its high mortality rate and exponentially growing number of new cases, lung cancer is a major threat to public health. The high mortality and poor survival rates of lung cancer patients can be attributed to its stealth progression and late diagnosis. For a long time, intrusive tissue biopsy has been considered the gold standard for lung cancer diagnosis and subtyping; however, the intrinsic limitations of tissue biopsy cannot be overlooked. In addition to being invasive and costly, it also suffers from limitations in sensitivity and specificity, is not suitable for repeated sampling, provides restricted information about the tumor and its molecular landscape, and is inaccessible in several cases. To cope with this, advancements in diagnostic technologies, such as liquid biopsy, have shown great prospects. Liquid biopsy is an innovative non-invasive approach in which cancer-related components called biomarkers are detected in body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva and others. It offers a less invasive alternative with the potential for applications such as routine screening, predicting treatment outcomes, evaluating treatment effectiveness, detecting residual disease, or disease recurrence. A large number of research articles have indicated extracellular vesicles (EVs) as ideal biomarkers for liquid biopsy. EVs are a heterogeneous collection of membranous nanoparticles with diverse sizes, contents, and surface markers. EVs play a critical role in pathophysiological states and have gained prominence as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for multiple diseases, including lung cancer. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the potential of EV-based liquid biopsy for lung cancer. Moreover, it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of various contemporary techniques for EV isolation and analysis in addition to the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the widespread clinical application of EV-based liquid biopsies for lung cancer. In summary, EV-based liquid biopsies present interesting opportunities for the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic platforms for lung cancer, one of the most abundant cancers responsible for millions of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Single Cell Detection and Cell Sorting)
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