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. 2024 Sep 8:1321:343043.
doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.343043. Epub 2024 Jul 31.

Detachable acoustofluidic droplet-sorter

Dhrubajyoti Das  1 , Shih-Hong Huang  2 , Choa-Li Weng  3 , Chien-Hung Yu  2 , Chao-Kai Hsu  4 , Yung-Chun Lee  3 , Hui-Ching Cheng  4 , Han-Sheng Chuang  5
Affiliations

Detachable acoustofluidic droplet-sorter

Dhrubajyoti Das et al. Anal Chim Acta. .

Abstract

Background: Cell sorting is crucial in isolating specific cell populations. It enables detailed analysis of their functions and characteristics and plays a vital role in disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) is considered the gold standard for high-speed single-cell sorting. However, its high cost, complex instrumentation, and lack of portability are significant limitations. Additionally, the high pressure and electric fields used in FACS can harm cell integrity. In this work, an acoustofluidic device was developed in combination with surface acoustic wave (SAW) and droplet microfluidics to isolate single-cell droplets with high purity while maintaining high cell viability.

Result: Human embryonic kidney cells, transfected with fluorescent reporter plasmids, were used to demonstrate the targeted droplet sorting containing single cells. The acoustofluidic sorter achieved a recovery rate of 81 % and an accuracy rate higher than 97 %. The device maintained a cell viability rate of 95 % and demonstrated repeatability over 20 consecutive trials without compromising efficiency, thus underscoring its reliability. Thermal image analysis revealed that the temperature of the interdigital transducer (IDT) during SAW operation remained within the permissible range for maintaining cell viability.

Significance: The findings highlighted the sensitivity and effectiveness of the developed acoustofluidic device as a tool for single-cell sorting. The detachable microfluidic chip design enables the reusability of the expensive IDT, making it cost-effective and reducing the risk of cross-contamination between different biological samples. The results underscore its capability to accurately isolate individual cells on the basis of specific criteria, showcasing its potential to advance research and clinical applications requiring precise cell sorting methodologies.

Keywords: Acoustofluidic device; Cell sorting; Droplet; IDT; Microchip; Surface acoustic wave.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest Authors hereby declare that this article is original, unpublished and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We have also duly acknowledged all the funding agency. Thus, the authors declare no conflict of interest. The corresponding author will be the sole contact for the Editorial process (including Editorial Manager and direct communications with the office). He is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs.

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