A micromanipulation system for single cell deposition

Many microfabricated devices have been developed to quantify cellular response to a multitude of stimuli at a single-cell level in a high throughput manner. These single-cell studies require cells to be individually positioned at defined locations on a microdevice. This paper presents a micromanipulation system for automated pick-place of single cells. Integrating computer vision and motion control algorithms, the system visually tracks a cell in real time and controls multiple motion devices coordinately. Via fine manipulation of picoliter fluids and pressure of a few Pascals, the system accurately picks up a single cell, transfers the cell, and deposits it at a target location at a speed of 15-30 sec/cell. The micromanipulation system has the advantages of non-invasiveness, high specificity, and high precision. It is suitable to pick-place both non-labeled and labeled cells and applicable to standard cell culture substrates and microdevices with an open top.