FISH-in-CHIPS: A Microfluidic Platform for Molecular Typing of Cancer Cells
Résumé
Microfluidics offer powerful tools for the control, manipulation, and analysis of cells, in particular for the
assessment of cell malignancy or the study of cell subpopulations. However, implementing complex biological
protocols on chip remains a challenge. Sample preparation is often performed off chip using multiple
manually performed steps, and protocols usually include different dehydration and drying steps that
are not always compatible with a microfluidic format.
Here, we report the implementation of a Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) protocol for
the molecular typing of cancer cells in a simple and low-cost device. The geometry of the chip allows
integrating the sample preparation steps to efficiently assess the genomic content of individual cells
using a minute amount of sample. The FISH protocol can be fully automated, thus enabling its use in
routine clinical practice.