Most cell studies are performed at a population level, relying on the assumption of a normal distribution of the function and fate of a cell among a population. However, technologies allowing single-cell analysis (SCA) have recently arisen and have led to increasing evidence of cell population heterogeneity and its importance. Tremendous amounts of new data could now be uncovered to redefine our understanding of cell omics. Microfluidics has emerged as a major technological player in this new era and is gradually increasing in use among biology laboratories, mainly due to the single-cell high-throughput handling solutions it offers. In this review, we assess its use and relevance for omics analysis at the single-cell level, with a specific focus on compartment-based microfluidic approaches.

大多数细胞研究是在人群水平上进行的，这取决于细胞在人群中功能和命运的正态分布的假设。但是，最近出现了允许单细胞分析（SCA）的技术，并导致越来越多的证据表明细胞群体具有异质性及其重要性。现在可以发现大量新数据，以重新定义我们对细胞组学的理解。微流体技术已经成为这个新时代的主要技术参与者，并且由于其提供的单细胞高通量处理解决方案而在生物学实验室中的使用正在逐渐增加。在这篇综述中，我们评估了其在单细胞水平上的组学分析的用途和相关性，特别关注基于隔室的微流体方法。