Cells have different intrinsic markers such as mechanical and electrical properties, which may be used as specific characteristics. Here, we present a microfluidic chip configured with two opposing optical fibers and four 3D electrodes for multiphysical parameter measurement. The chip leverages optical fibers to capture and stretch a single cell and uses 3D electrodes to achieve rotation of the single cell. According to the stretching deformation and rotation spectrum, the mechanical and dielectric properties can be extracted. We provided proof of concept by testing five types of cells (HeLa, A549, HepaRG, MCF7 and MCF10A) and determined five biophysical parameters, namely, shear modulus, steady-state viscosity, and relaxation time from the stretching deformation and area-specific membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity from the rotation spectra. We showed the potential of the chip in cancer research by observing subtle changes in the cellular properties of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) A549 cells. The new chip provides a microfluidic platform capable of multiparameter characterization of single cells, which can play an important role in the field of single-cell research.

细胞具有不同的内在标记，例如机械和电学特性，可用作特定特征。在这里，我们展示了一个微流体芯片，配置有两个相对的光纤和四个 3D 电极，用于多物理参数测量。该芯片利用光纤捕获和拉伸单个细胞，并使用 3D 电极实现单个细胞的旋转。根据拉伸变形和旋转光谱，可以提取机械和介电特性。我们通过测试五种类型的细胞（HeLa、A549、HepaRG、MCF7 和 MCF10A）并确定了五个生物物理参数，即剪切模量、稳态粘度、和来自旋转光谱的拉伸变形和区域特异性膜电容和细胞质电导率的弛豫时间。我们通过观察转化生长因子 β1 (TGF-β1) 诱导的上皮间质转化 (EMT) A549 细胞的细胞特性的细微变化，展示了该芯片在癌症研究中的潜力。新芯片提供了一个能够对单细胞进行多参数表征的微流控平台，可以在单细胞研究领域发挥重要作用。