Abstract
Mechanistic studies of cellular processes are usually carried out with large populations of cells. However, parameters that are measured as averages of large populations can be misleading. For instance, an apparently linear response to a signal could, in fact, reflect an increasing number of cells in the population that have switched from 'off' to 'on', rather than a graded increase in response by all the cells. At present, the study of single cells is challenging, but new technologies mean it might soon be a reality.
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Acknowledgements
The work described in this article has been supported by funding through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Centers of Excellence in Genomic Sciences programme. We wish to acknowledge the important contributions of other Microscale Life Sciences Center investigators to this work: K. Böhringer, L. Burgess, B. Cookson, N. Dovichi, M. Holl, B. Marquardt, J. Mittler, J. Mullins, V. Vogel and D. Wilson.
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Online Figure | MLSC organizational pyramid. For the single-cell analysis group of the MLSC, application needs drive innovation in module and system-level development, and foundation technologies support system design and integration activities. The use of new technology creates new areas of experimental investigation. (PDF 24 kb)
Glossary
- DIELECTROPHORESIS
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The induced motion of polarizable particles in non-uniform electric fields.
- ELECTROIMPEDENCE SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS
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An analytical technique that supplies frequency response information for a variety of conducting materials. A signature is obtained that can be related to specific changes in conducting properties.
- MICROANALYTICAL SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS
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Detection methods that are based on analysis of the energies and wavelengths of radiation emitted by atoms and molecules when particular physical conditions are applied to them, and which use small (sub-microlitre) volumes and low concentrations of analyte.
- MICROFLUIDICS
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Fluidics in structures on micron and smaller-length scales, resulting in low turbulence, with laminar flows.
- MULTIANALYTE
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Multiple chemicals to be analysed.
- STOCHASTICITY
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Describes a phenomenon that obeys the laws of probability.
- SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE
-
(SPR). A phenomenon that occurs when light is reflected off thin metal films. Although incident light is totally reflected, the electromagnetic field component penetrates a short (tens of nanometres) distance into a medium of a lower refractive index, thereby creating a type of wave that is known as an exponentially detenuating evanescent wave. If the interface between the media is coated with a thin layer of metal (gold), and light is monochromatic and p-polarized, the intensity of the reflected light is reduced at a specific incident angle producing a sharp shadow, called surface plasmon resonance.
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Lidstrom, M., Meldrum, D. Life-on-a-chip. Nat Rev Microbiol 1, 158–164 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro755
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro755
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