High throughput continuous cell secretome separation inside microscale droplets by means of acoustophoresis

Abstract

In microbiology, cell analysis is an important tool for understanding influences on biotechnological production. Using current bulk methods, the secretome cannot be assigned to the corresponding cell. This contribution reports a novel method for cell separation inside microscale droplets. Cells are focused in droplets using bulk acoustic waves before the droplet is split at a bifurcation. For a wide range of experimental parameters, an average separation efficiency of above 99% is achieved. The usability of the device for yeast cells is evaluated. This work demonstrates a missing key element for future high-throughput single-cell analysis techniques based on mass spectrometry.