Active microfluidics for the applications to cellular deformability measurements is an emerging research field ranging from engineering to medicine. Here, we review conventional and microfluidic methods, and introduce an on-chip cell manipulation system with the design principle of fast and fine cell manipulation inside a microchannel. In the latter part of the review, we focus on the results of red blood cell (RBC) deformability measurements as one of the most frequently studied non-adherent cells by on-chip methods. The relationship between mechanical properties and biological structures/features, as well as medical/diagnostic applications, are also discussed.

中文翻译：

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片上单元操作及其在可变形性测量中的应用

主动微流体技术在细胞变形性测量中的应用是一个新兴的研究领域，从工程到医学。在这里，我们回顾了常规方法和微流体方法，并介绍了一种基于微通道内快速和精细细胞操作设计原理的片上细胞操作系统。在本文的后半部分，我们将重点介绍红细胞（RBC）变形能力测量的结果，这是通过片上方法研究得最频繁的非贴壁细胞之一。还讨论了机械性能与生物学结构/特征之间的关系，以及医学/诊断应用。