Image-Based Gel Encapsulation of Suspended Single Cells for Parallel Single-Cell Screening

Abstract

Single-cell screening, which has revolutionized the life sciences, is an important method for detecting, separating, or treating specific cells based on desired characteristics. Previously, single cells of interest were manually identified in an image, which required human labor and time. We developed an automated photopolymerization system to encapsulate suspended single cells in approximately 50-µm photo-crosslinkable hydrogel squares. An image was captured, and single cells were selected from grouped cells based on image processing. A generated image was transferred to a digital micromirror device (DMD), and in parallel, target-suspended single cells were encapsulated in gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels. We built a data transfer platform based on a Power Automate Desktop (PAD), completed the data transfer, and projected the processed image onto a sample in 10 s, ensuring a minimum alignment error of 6.2 µm.