Conventional cell trapping methods using microwells with small dimensions (10-20 μm) are useful for examining the instantaneous cell response to reagents; however, such wells have insufficient space for longer duration screening tests that require observation of cell attachment and division. Here we describe a flow method that enables single cell trapping in microwells with dimensions of 50 μm, a size sufficient to allow attachment and division of captured cells. Among various geometries tested, triangular microwells were found to be most efficient for single cell trapping while providing ample space for cells to grow and spread. An important trapping mechanism is the formation of fluid streamlines inside, rather than over, the microwells. A strong flow recirculation occurs in the triangular microwell so that it efficiently catches cells. Once a cell is captured, the cell presence in the microwell changes the flow pattern, thereby preventing trapping of other cells. About 62% of microwells were filled with single cells after a 20 min loading procedure. Human prostate cancer cells (PC3) were used for validation of our system.

中文翻译：

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在能够支持细胞扩散和增殖的较大微孔中捕获单细胞。

使用小尺寸 (10-20 μm) 微孔的常规细胞捕获方法可用于检查细胞对试剂的瞬时反应；然而，这样的孔没有足够的空间用于需要观察细胞附着和分裂的更长时间的筛选测试。在这里，我们描述了一种流动方法，该方法可以在尺寸为 50 μm 的微孔中捕获单细胞，该微孔的大小足以允许捕获的细胞附着和分裂。在测试的各种几何形状中，发现三角形微孔对于单细胞捕获最有效，同时为细胞生长和扩散提供了充足的空间。一个重要的捕获机制是在微孔内部而不是在微孔上方形成流体流线。三角形微孔中发生强烈的流动再循环，从而有效地捕获细胞。一旦细胞被捕获，微孔中的细胞就会改变流动模式，从而防止捕获其他细胞。在 20 分钟的加载程序后，大约 62% 的微孔充满了单个细胞。人类前列腺癌细胞 (PC3) 用于验证我们的系统。