Capture-culture dual-zone integrated unit array for single-cell microfluidic chips

Single-cell culture has long posed a significant challenge and remained a hot topic in biomedical engineering. To address the limitations in existing microfluidic single-cell chips, where cell culture space is constrained by the capture zones——impeding long-term cultivation. This study presents a capture-culture dual-zone integrated microfluidic chip, which integrates cell capture and culture functional region within a single unit. Through optimized chip layout design, the device achieves a microsphere capture rate of 91.93% and a cell capture rate of 60.1%.This study employs mouse fibroblast L929 cells (average diameter: 10 μm) as the model system, establishing a hydrodynamic flow model of cell suspension within the chip through theoretical calculations and computational simulations. To ensure cell viability, a microchannel width of 60 μm achieves optimal capture efficiency. To validate the chip performance, under conditions of a cell (or microsphere) input density of 1×105 cell/mL and a flow velocity of 300 μm/s, the cells exhibited stable post-entry conditions. With a microchannel width of 60 μm, the chip achieved both high capture efficiency and single-cell isolation rates, yielding a robust single-cell microfluidic device with stable bonding. This chip demonstrates a simple structure and straightforward fabrication process, serving as a novel tool for single-cell analysis and research.