Microfluidic droplet platforms have emerged as a transformative technology in the realm of high-throughput single-cell analysis, with significant implications for medical diagnosis, drug screening, green biomanufacturing, directed evolution of enzymes, and next-generation sequencing. The ability to perform omics analysis through multi-parallel and high-throughput platforms is a critical challenge that researchers are striving to address. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of large-scale microfluidic droplets, which act as microreactors and compartmentalized laboratories, to encapsulate individual cells, perform essential cell manipulations, and detect cellular metabolites. These advancements have revolutionized traditional bulk biochemical analysis by providing a robust platform for single-cell genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabonomics. Despite these advancements, several challenges remain, such as cell damage from oil phase components, the inefficiency of droplet loading, and difficulties in online metabolite determination. Addressing these issues is crucial for furthering the capabilities of droplet microfluidics in high-throughput analysis.
This research topic aims to explore and address the current challenges and opportunities in the field of microfluidic droplet platforms for high-throughput single-cell analysis. The primary objectives include investigating new methods for droplet generation and sorting, developing innovative approaches for operating cells within droplets, and creating advanced tools for signal sensing and screening. Additionally, the research will focus on versatile designs that can be practically applied to single-cell high-throughput analysis across various fields. By answering these questions and testing these hypotheses, the research aims to push the boundaries of what is currently possible in single-cell analysis.
To gather further insights into the capabilities and limitations of microfluidic droplet platforms, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes: - Establishing novel high-sensitive signal amplification and detection strategies inside droplets, such as fluorescence, absorbance, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. - Improving microfluidic emulsion templates and composite materials to create multicomponent single-cell microreactors adaptable to various cell types, and optimizing processes like droplet generation, cell encapsulation, and sorting. - Developing comprehensive droplet-based research methods or equipment for applications in synthetic biology, green biofabrication, enzyme engineering, drug screening, digital PCR, next-generation sequencing, and biomarker assays in clinical diagnosis, with a focus on single-cell level and high-throughput analysis.
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This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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General Commentary
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Methods
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Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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