FIG. 1.

A microfluidic platform for the integrated microfluidic platform for size-selective single-cell trapping. (a) Schematic illustration of the microfluidic platform comprising the hydrodynamic filters, obstacle array, DEP electrode, and the array of single-cell traps. (b) Schematic of the process of size-selective single-cell trapping. Two different-sized microfilters are designed in sequence for removing large cell clumps (target cell diameter >18 μm), smaller WBCs and RBCs (target cell diameter <10 μm) so that continuous separation of a targeted U937 cells and monocytes population with an intermediate size is achieved. The separated targeted cancer cells can then be discriminated by dielectrophoretic force and isolated individually by downstream trapping arrays.