Abstract
Abstract
Reliably measuring small mass changes at the single-cell level is challenging. In this manuscript, we report the use of microfluidic cantilevers in liquid with sub-nanogram scale weight sensing capability for the measurement of cellular mass changes of living single cells. With this instrumentation, we were able to perform fast mass measurements within 3 min. We show results of mass measurements of polystyrene and metal beads of various sizes (smallest weight measured at 280 ± 95 pg) and live single-cell mass measurements in a physiologically relevant environment. We also performed finite element analysis to simulate and optimize the structural design and materials of cantilevers. Our simulation results indicate that using polymer materials, such as SU8 and polyimide, could improve the minimal detectable mass by three-fold compared to conventional silicon cantilevers. The simulations also suggest that smaller dimensions of length, width, and thickness would improve the mass detection capability of microfluidic cantilevers.
Funder
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Subject
Applied Mathematics,Instrumentation,Engineering (miscellaneous)
Cited by
20 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献