论文和技术资料

We have used COMSOL Multiphysics® software to design a micropipette for single -cell gene expression profiling. The micropipette design allows us to insert it into a single-cell to extract genes through dielectrophoresis. As dielectriphoretic force depends on the applied electric field (E) and its gradient (∇E^2), we have successfully used COMSOL to calculate E and ∇E^2 in the vicinity of the tip of the micropipette. Our design is capable of generating the highest ∇E^2 ever reported which enables a high-throughput gene extraction. Through a series of COMSOL calculations, we optimized the tip diameter of the micropipette for high-throughput gene extraction. COMSOL calculations were further used to determine the volume of the cytosol region where micropipette is capable of extracting molecules through dielectrophoresis for gene expression analysis.