Microfluidics and optics for single cell observation on a chip: PROCHIP
In the case of cancer, tumor progression mainly relies on epigenomic reprogramming, allowing infected cells to adapt to foreign environments.
One manifestation of this reprogramming is chromatin alteration.
An efficient tool for high-throughput single-cell observation is needed to study this phenomenon.
This project is completed now. If interested, feel free to contact us.
Single cell observation on a microfluidic chip: introduction
Understanding the 3D organization of cancer-associated chromatin domains should thus help to unravel tumor heterogeneities and develop targeted therapies.
As no microscopic technique is currently available to characterize chromatin structures at the single-cell level, this project aims to develop a high-throughput super-resolution microscope to quickly analyze chromatin in many cells.
Imaging will be performed in a one cm² microfluidic glass chip where the cells will flow, and each single cell will be scanned automatically.
All optical components necessary for the observation will be integrated into the microfluidic chip.
Single cell observation on a microfluidic chip: our role
In this European consortium, we will bring our expertise in fluid handling for microfluidics to acquire precise data for flow velocities corresponding to 100 cells/min.
The microfluidic flow controller, coupled with an innovative flow sensor and image analysis, will fine-tune the flow rate to optimize cell circulation into the chip and enable single-cell efficient detection.
A feedback loop will be integrated to adapt the imposed pressure in real time to keep the cell frequency constant.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 801336 (PROCHIP project)
