Vacuum-Driven Micropump with Support Columns: Toward Large Scale Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing

Abstract

Gene expression affects the behavior of a cell. The roles of genes in behavior are still unclear. Measurement of both single cell motion and gene expression (amount of mRNA) are helpful to elucidate the relationship between gene expression and behavior. We have been developing a new device to measure both single-cell motility and gene expression. This measurement requires a fluid device composed of 100 chambers. To realize such a device, we selected a vacuum driven micropump and characterized a fluid driven system using vacuum. We provided support columns with a pump. The pump area was changed and its influence on a flow rate was investigated. This characterization is expected to lead to the establishment of the basic technology for large scale RNA-sequencing.