We propose the design of a single-cell based microfluidic platform as diagnostic tool for the evaluation of drug efficiency. Droplet-based microfluidics is used for a fast and convenient evaluation of drug and drug mixtures` therapeutic effects

• Applicant: Dr. Stefanie Utech
• Subject Area: Analytical Chemistry
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 213108952

Combating against diseases like cancer is still a challenging and tedious endeavor. Multidrug resistance and the patients specific response are only two issues significantly complicating therapeutic approaches. Finding the right drug or combination of drugs is an important step towards successful treatment. Combining single-cell analysis with microfluidics is one of the most promising approaches towards very efficient, high-throughput analytic tools for the evaluation of drug efficiencies. We propose the design of a single-cell based microfluidic platform as diagnostic tool for the evaluation of drug efficiency. The fundamental idea of the proposed system is the incorporation of single-cells into droplets which act as compartments and form an independently controllable environment for the cells. Drug and drug mixtures can be injected into the corresponding droplet via picoinjectors capable of performing fast and highly accurate injections with sub-picoliter precision. Simultaneous injection of drugs into different cells can be achieved by in-serial arrangement of different picoinjectors on a single chip. Additionally, the compartization of the cells into droplets allows for an easy manipulation and transport of the samples within the microfluidic platform. Hence, the cells can easily be incubated on the chip and individually analyzed. The described setup allows for a fast and convenient evaluation of drug efficiency that requires only small amounts of valuable resources like drugs and target cells due to the single-cell and droplet-based nature of the device. All these qualities make the proposed project a promising tool for pharmacological trials and thus, could provide a fast and effective new avenue for the assessment of cancer treatments.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. David A. Weitz