Microfluidic-based single cell trapping using a combination of stagnation point flow and physical barrier

Single cell trapping in vitro by microfluidic device is an emerging approach for the study of the rela-tionship between single cells and their dynamic biochemical microenvironments. In this paper, a hydrodynamic-based microfluidic device for single cell trapping is designed using a combination of stagnation point flow and physical barrier. The microfluidic device overcomes the weakness of the tra-ditional ones, which have been only based upon either stag-nation point flows or physical barriers, and can conveniently load dynamic biochemical signals to the trapped cell. In addi-tion, it can connect with a programmable syringe pump and a microscope to constitute an integrated experimental system. It is experimentally verified that the microfluidic system can trap single cells in vitro even under flow disturbance and con-veniently load biochemical signals to the trapped cell. The designed micro-device would provide a simple yet effective experimental platform for further study of the interactions between single cells and their microenvironments.