Single‐Cell Multiplex Gene Detection and Sequencing with Microfluidically Generated Agarose Emulsions

Genetic assays, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), typically report on multiple cells or mixtures of genomic DNA. As a result, they cannot properly characterize the genetic heterogeneity of a cell population or detect the co-occurrence of different mutations within a single cell, which are key to understanding the development, progression, and treatment of cancers.[1,2] In particular, since initial mutagenesis occurs inherently at the single-cell level, the detection and characterization of carcinogenesis will be dramatically facilitated by analytical techniques with single cell resolution.