Abstract
In order to evaluate the mechanical characters of single cells in a microchannel, it is important to have accurate and precise control on the position of each cell. High resolution of cell positioning is difficult to be achieved because the resolution of the cell positioning in a microchannel is determined by not only the actuator's resolution but also the ratio between the cross-sectional areas of the actuator and the microchannel. Nevertheless, there is a report showing that manipulating cell in high resolution using an external actuator is achieved within 1 μm, but the mechanism of such high resolution cell positioning is not revealed. This work focuses on revealing the mechanism of such high resolution cell positioning, and to develop the design theory for it. Based on the experimental observation and results, it is revealed that the key to such a high resolution is due to the elasticity of microfluidic chips. According to the developed design theory, cell position control is further improved to be within the resolution of 240 nm.
