Abstract
Electrical properties of living cells have been proven to play significant roles in understanding of various biological activities including disease progression both at the cellular and molecular levels. Since two decades ago, many researchers have developed tools to analyze the cell’s electrical states especially in single cell analysis (SCA). In depth analysis and more fully described activities of cell differentiation and cancer can only be accomplished with single cell analysis. This growing interest was supported by the emergence of various microfluidic techniques to fulfill high precisions screening, reduced equipment cost and low analysis time for characterization of the single cell’s electrical properties, as compared to classical bulky technique. This paper presents a historical review of single cell electrical properties analysis development from classical techniques to recent advances in microfluidic techniques. Technical details of the different microfluidic techniques are highlighted, and the advantages and limitations of various microfluidic devices are discussed.
Highlights
Study of the cell has emerged as a distinct new field, and acknowledged to be one of the fundamental building blocks of life
We present an overview of classical technique and microfluidics technique in single cell electrical properties analysis
Several microfluidic systems have been developed for single cell electrical properties analysis, such as electrorotation, impedance flow cytometry and microelectrical impedance spectroscopy
Summary
Study of the cell has emerged as a distinct new field, and acknowledged to be one of the fundamental building blocks of life. Population methods use averages of cell properties to measure and predict the biophysical and biochemical parameters of cell. This method suffers from inaccurate measurements and often overlooks the essential information available in the cell due to the heterogeneity of cells (e.g., specific gene expression levels) [17]. For this reason, single cell studies have been emphasized to provide biologists and scientists to peer into the molecular machinery of individual cells. We present an overview of classical technique and microfluidics technique in single cell electrical properties analysis
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