A Microfluidic Micropipette Aspiration Device to Study Single-Cell Mechanics Inspired by the Principle of Wheatstone Bridge

• Main Authors: Yong-Jiang Li, Yu-Nong Yang, Hai-Jun Zhang, Chun-Dong Xue, De-Pei Zeng, Tun Cao, Kai-Rong Qin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
• Series: Micromachines
• Subjects: micropipette aspiration; microfluidics; single-cell mechanics; Wheatstone bridge
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/10/2/131

The biomechanical properties of single cells show great potential for early disease diagnosis and effective treatments. In this study, a microfluidic device was developed for quantifying the mechanical properties of a single cell. Micropipette aspiration was integrated into a microfluidic device that mimics a classical Wheatstone bridge circuit. This technique allows us not only to effectively alter the flow direction for single-cell trapping, but also to precisely control the pressure exerted on the aspirated cells, analogous to the feature of the Wheatstone bridge that can precisely control bridge voltage and current. By combining the micropipette aspiration technique into the microfluidic device, we can effectively trap the microparticles and Hela cells as well as measure the deformability of cells. The Young’s modulus of Hela cells was evaluated to be 387 ± 77 Pa, which is consistent with previous micropipette aspiration studies. The simplicity, precision, and usability of our device show good potential for biomechanical trials in clinical diagnosis and cell biology research.