Droplet microfluidics for high-throughput biological assays.
Droplet microfluidics offers significant advantages for performing high-throughput screens and sensitive assays. Droplets allow sample volumes to be significantly reduced, leading to concomitant reductions in cost. Manipulation and measurement at kilohertz speeds enable up to 10(8) samples to be screened in one day. Compartmentalization in droplets increases assay sensitivity by increasing the effective concentration of rare species and decreasing the time required to reach detection thresholds. Droplet microfluidics combines these powerful features to enable currently inaccessible high-throughput screening applications, including single-cell and single-molecule assays.
Department of Physics and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.
Mira T
MT
Guo
Assaf
A
Rotem
John A
JA
Heyman
David A
DA
Weitz
D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D006801:Humans; D044085:Microfluidics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000906:Antibodies; D004798:Enzymes; D004247:DNA