Development Of A Miniaturized Flow Cytometric System Based On Microfluidic Chip

In 2005, a simple laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection system based on an orthogonal optical arrangement for microfluidic chips was developed by our group. Later, the orthogonal LIF detection systems were employed in microfluidic flow cytometry. In this work, a compact microfluidic chip-based flow cytometer has been developed based on the orthogonal optical arrangement. The present system has many advantages, including simple structure, small size and low cost.In the first chapter, the concept of traditional flow cytometry and the development of microfluidic chip based on flow cytometer were reviewed.In the second chapter, a compact microfluidic chip-based flow cytometer has been developed based on the orthogonal optical arrangement. A 532 nm laser diode was used as the light source. Both photodiode and integrated photomultiplier tube were used as detectors for the forward scattered light and fluorescence, respectively. The size of the flow cytometer was 19 cm×15 cm×25 cm (L×H×W). The detection limit of the system for tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) was 4.4×10^-8 mol/L. The performance of the system was demonstrated in the analysis of fluorescent beads (6μm) and cell samples. The advantages of the present system included simple structure, small size and low cost.