Microfluidic imaging: A novel concept for pixelation of chemical and biological samples

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel concept to spatially resolve the chemical composition of complex biological samples by pixelation within a micro total analysis system (μTAS) platform. The device we developed images samples of interest by discretising targeted areas into droplets suspended in a two-phase microflow. These droplets are transferred from parallel to serial mode for data readout in a similar fashion to a CCD camera, thus referred as “microfluidic imaging”. Three major process steps are conducted within the device: (i) parallel pixelation and uptake of the sample (ii) sample transfer from parallel to serial mode into a microchannel for individual analysis and (iii) image generation. This microfluidic pixelation method is a technique suitable for obtaining non-averaged data from heterogeneous specimen. The concept attempts to reduce arduous preparation steps, allowing high throughput while retaining the spatial information.