Fig. 5: Dissociation and analysis of single cells.

a Dissociation and arrangement of a cluster based on AST (blue zone). The cluster is dissociated into a single cell and aligned under the action of SteAS. The cells are highlighted by pseudocolor (red). The applied power is 66 mW, and the scale bar is 50 μm. b Dissociation of the cluster in continuous flow. (b-1) The HeLa cell cluster (dotted cycle) is attracted to the AST. (b-2) The trapped cluster is dissociated into individual cells (indicated by red arrows). The flow rate was 2 μL/min, and the applied power was approximately 15 mW. c In situ analysis of a single cell via SteAS. By switching between different lateral flow materials (HeLa cells and reagents), fluorescence-based analysis of trapped single cells is realized. d Pairing of a single cell and a barcode gel bead via AST. By switching between different lateral flow specimens (HeLa cells and gel beads), a single cell and a barcode gel bead are trapped in AST and contact each other at the trapping point. When the device is turned off, the assembled cell and bead are released together to move downstream. The white arrow points in the direction of lateral flow. The dotted pentagon represents the position of the UHF device. The scale bar is 100 μm.