Current encapsulation approaches control the number of particles encapsulated per droplet, but not the particle types; consequently, they are unable to generate droplets containing combinations of distinct particle types, limiting the reactions that can be performed. We describe a microfluidic particle zipper that allows the number and types of particles encapsulated in every droplet to be controlled. The approach exploits self-ordering to generate repeating particle patterns that allow controlled encapsulation in droplets. We use the method to combine barcode particles with gel encapsulated cells to profile multiple disease relevant genomic loci with single cell sequencing. Particle zippers can operate in series to generate complex particle compositions in droplets.

中文翻译：

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微流体颗粒拉链可控制具有不同颗粒类型的液滴的加载。

当前的包囊方法控制着每个液滴包囊的颗粒数量，但不能控制颗粒类型。因此，它们无法产生包含不同颗粒类型组合的液滴，从而限制了可以进行的反应。我们描述了一种微流体粒子拉链，该拉链允许控制封装在每个液滴中的粒子的数量和类型。该方法利用自排序来生成重复的粒子模式，从而允许在液滴中进行受控封装。我们使用该方法将条形码颗粒与凝胶包封的细胞结合起来，用单细胞测序来分析多种疾病相关的基因组位点。颗粒拉链可以串联运行以在液滴中生成复杂的颗粒成分。