Background What We Can Offer? Workflow Why Choose Us? Published Data FAQs Featured Services Feature Products
Accelerate Your Research and Development!
Are you currently facing challenges with low sample throughput, complex cell manipulation, and limited analysis capabilities for intracellular components? Our Microfluidic Chip Development Service for Intracellular Component Analysis helps you accelerate research and discovery, obtain high-quality data from single cells, and streamline your workflow through advanced micro-channel design, integrated detection methods, and precise fluid control.
Contact our team to get an inquiry now!
Background
The study of intracellular components, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and organelles, is fundamental to understanding cellular function, disease mechanisms, and drug responses. Traditional methods often rely on bulk analysis of large cell populations, which averages out crucial data and masks the heterogeneity present among individual cells. Microfluidic technologies, or "lab-on-a-chip" systems, have emerged as a powerful solution to this limitation.
Microfluidic chips are miniaturized devices containing micro-channels through which fluids are manipulated with exquisite control. They offer advantages such as minimal sample and reagent consumption, high resolution, and the ability to control the cellular microenvironment with unprecedented precision. The application of these chips for intracellular component analysis involves a series of complex steps, from single-cell isolation and trapping to on-chip lysis and the extraction or analysis of intracellular molecules. They are particularly valuable for studying rare cell types, such as circulating tumor cells, and for applications requiring high-throughput single-cell analysis. Published data has shown that microfluidic devices can enable efficient on-chip cell lysis and the subsequent analysis of nucleic acids and proteins, providing a powerful platform for research in oncology, immunology, and beyond.
Fig.1 Microfluidic chip design and functionality for single-cell protein profiling.1,3
Applications
Microfluidic chips for intracellular component analysis have a broad range of applications across various scientific fields.
Drug Discovery and Development
Accelerate drug screening by analyzing the effect of drug candidates on intracellular targets at the single-cell level.
Personalized Medicine
Isolate and analyze rare cells from patient samples, such as circulating tumor cells, to guide personalized treatment strategies.
Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Monitor the differentiation of stem cells and analyze changes in their intracellular components over time.
Immunology
Study immune cell function by analyzing cytokine secretion, receptor expression, and other intracellular markers in response to stimuli.
Gene Expression and Proteomics
Perform single-cell gene expression profiling or proteomic analysis to uncover cellular heterogeneity in complex populations.
Environmental and Food Safety
Detect and analyze contaminants or pathogens by their effects on the intracellular components of target cells.
What We Can Offer
Creative Biolabs provides a comprehensive suite of services to support your intracellular analysis needs, from individual components to complete end-to-end solutions.
We design and fabricate bespoke chips optimized for your specific application, whether it's for cell trapping, lysis, sorting, or multi-step analysis.
Our service covers the entire workflow, from initial design consultation and fabrication to device validation and protocol development, ensuring a seamless experience.
We offer a range of pre-designed microfluidic chips for common research applications, allowing for faster deployment.
Our chips are designed to be compatible with popular downstream analysis platforms, including mass spectrometry, next-generation sequencing, and PCR.
Leverage our specialized benefits—Request a quotation today
Workflow
Why Choose Us?
Creative Biolabs stands apart through our commitment to innovation, quality, and a client-centric approach. Our unique advantages are built on decades of expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a deep understanding of the challenges in cellular research.
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Precision and Efficiency: Our microfluidic chips are designed for single-cell resolution, allowing for precise control over cellular environments and high-throughput analysis.
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Custom-Tailored Solutions: We don't offer one-size-fits-all products. Every chip is developed from the ground up to meet the unique requirements of your research, ensuring optimal performance.
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Integrated Solutions: Our designs can seamlessly integrate with existing analytical tools such as mass spectrometry and PCR, enabling a complete end-to-end workflow.
Published Data
Fig.2 Fabrication process and a prototype device of the microfluidic module.2,3
Research details the development of a microfluidic instrument for quantifying specific intracellular proteins at the single-cell level. The system consists of three modules: a pressure module for sample delivery, a microfluidic module for cell handling, and a fluorescent module for quantification. The experimental setup used fluorescently stained cells and a software platform to translate fluorescent signals into a count of intracellular proteins. The results successfully demonstrated the platform's ability to precisely measure specific proteins within individual cells, highlighting its potential for advanced single-cell analysis and its value in applications where understanding cellular heterogeneity is critical. The study provides a strong example of how microfluidic technology can enable quantitative measurements that are difficult to achieve with traditional methods.
FAQs
Q: What are the key advantages of using microfluidic chips for intracellular component analysis?
A: Microfluidic chips overcome the limitations of traditional bulk analysis by providing single-cell resolution. This approach allows researchers to study the heterogeneity that is often masked when averaging data from large cell populations. Key benefits include the ability to conserve valuable samples and obtain a more detailed and accurate view of cellular processes.
Q: What factors influence the complexity and design of a microfluidic chip?
A: The complexity of a microfluidic chip is influenced by several factors, including the target cell type, the specific intracellular components to be analyzed, and the number of integrated functions (e.g., cell trapping, lysis, sorting). More complex designs may require additional fabrication and optimization steps to ensure proper function.
Q: How are microfluidic chips integrated into a standard laboratory workflow?
A: Microfluidic chips are designed to be compatible with common laboratory instruments. They can be connected to external fluidic pumps for precise liquid control and are often used in conjunction with microscopes for real-time visualization. Many chips also feature standardized ports for integration with downstream analysis platforms like mass spectrometers or sequencing devices.
Q: What are the diverse applications of microfluidic chips in cellular research?
A: Microfluidic chips are highly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of cellular research. They are particularly well-suited for studies involving rare or precious cell types, such as circulating tumor cells. They are also used to analyze diverse intracellular components, including DNA, RNA, proteins, and even entire organelles, enabling a variety of applications from gene expression profiling to proteomics.
Q: What are the key considerations for ensuring data reliability and reproducibility in microfluidic assays?
A: Data reliability in microfluidics depends on several factors, including consistent fluid dynamics, efficient cell manipulation, and validated on-chip processes. To ensure reproducible results, researchers must carefully control experimental parameters such as flow rates, temperature, and reagent concentrations. Rigorous validation of the chip's functional performance prior to large-scale experiments is also essential.
Featured Services
Feature Products
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CAT No
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Material
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Product Name
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Application
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MFCH-001
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Glass
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Herringbone Microfluidic Chip
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Processing samples and reagents in nucleic acid analysis, blood analysis, immunoassays and point-of-care diagnostics.
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MFMM-0723-JS12
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Glass
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Double Emulsion Droplet Chip
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Our double emulsion microfluidic chip, incorporating localized modifications and a classic flow-focusing structure, is specifically designed to generate stable and uniform double emulsion droplets.
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MFCH-005
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PDMS
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3D Cell Culture Chip-Neuron
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Neuron cell culture and study of axon transport, axon protein synthesis, axon damage/regeneration, signal transduction of axon to somatic signal.
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MFCH-009
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PDMS
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Synvivo-Idealized Co-Culture Network Chips (IMN2 radial)
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SynBBB 3D Blood Brain Barrier Model/SynRAM 3D Inflammation Model/SynTumor 3D Cancer Model/SynTox 3D Toxicology Model
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MFMM1-GJS4
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COC
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BE-Doubleflow Standard
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Studying circulating particles, cell interactions and simple organ on chip system construction.
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MFMM1-GJS6
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COC
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BE-Transflow Custom
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Used to construct cell interface or Air-Liquid interface (ALI) to study more complex culture systems.
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Click here to explore our complete product catalog.
For detailed inquiries regarding our offerings, reach out to our specialists.
References
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Armbrecht, Lucas et al. "Single-cell protein profiling in microchambers with barcoded beads." Microsystems & nanoengineering vol. 5 55. 4 Nov. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-019-0099-5
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Liu, Lixing et al. "Microfluidic Analyzer Enabling Quantitative Measurements of Specific Intracellular Proteins at the Single-Cell Level." Micromachines vol. 9,11 588. 12 Nov. 2018, https://doi.org/10.3390/mi9110588
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Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
