In Situ Single Cell Laser Lysis Downstream qRT-PCR Profiling

With funding from the NIH Single Cell Analysis Program, we are developing an innovative, microfluidic-based tool for clinical and scientific users to analyze in situ gene expression heterogeneity using single-cell mRNA expression analysis. The device uses a two-photon laser to lyse a sequence of individual cells at known coordinates within a 3D tissue.The lysate is immediately transported to an emulsion-based (oil-droplet) qRT-PCR module to profile mRNA expression. This research could lead ultimately to a highly multiplexed platform capable of detecting dozens of mRNA sequences for each initial droplet eluted from the sample.