Past events

Microfluidic Single Cell Analytics

Dr Jonathan West MRSC, Institute for Life Science Research Fellow, University of Southampton

Abstract

As microfluidic dimensions approach the length scale of a single cell, flow becomes laminar and manipulations become deterministic to enable exquisite spatial and temporal control. This quality can be used to provide superior assay resolution and also to address previously intractable questions in cell biology. Using examples from my research, I will show how microfabricated platforms afford the spatial precision to investigate neuronal and tumour systems, and then extend this principle to resolving cellular dynamics with millisecond resolution. The presentation will conclude with a discussion on the importance of high throughput single cell analysis for understanding heterogeneity in cellular populations. This research involves the use of droplet microfluidics and microwell array principles to measure variations in gene expression and communication that drive tumour evolution and underpin stem cell differentiation.

Biography:

Jonathan West MRSC is an Institute for Life Sciences Research Lecturer with 18 years’ experience from PhD (“microsystems for genetic diagnostics”) to present working at the interface between microtechnology and biomedicine. This included threes years industrial micro/nanotechnology commercialisation experience. In the last seven years, Jonathan has been developing microfluidic platforms for high throughput single cell biology. He has five patents, 32 peer-reviewed publications (>1700 citations; h-index 18), as well as two book chapters.