Studying biological systems at the single-cell level is essential for understanding function. For example, identifying the interactions between T cells and antigen-presenting cells during an immune response. Fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS) is a high-throughput technique for efficiently screening cellular interaction events. Although capable of detecting “one in a million” events, FADS has not seen broad adoption by researchers, due to the complex nature of droplet sorters. Accordingly, the ability to use commercial fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) instruments could be a more convenient and cost-effective alternative.
Yun Ding, Giada Zoppi and colleagues from ETH Zürich and Università della Svizzera Italiana have recently developed a fast and user-friendly workflow for high-throughput screening of co-cultured droplets. The two-step generation of DEs offers independent control over internal droplet size and allows for thin oil shells, which means that encapsulation of large cells or cell clusters can be achieved. The single-layer microfluidic chips are accessible to all and allow complex droplet manipulations. Significantly, the resulting double emulsions are exceptionally stable (with their detection rate exceeding 90%), thus allowing for high-throughput immune cell activation sorting for the first time, and paving the way for major discoveries in immunology.
Written by Magali Ledoigt
Read the published article here.
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