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Microfluidics: reframing biological enquiry

2015; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 16; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/nrm4041

1471-0080

Todd A. Duncombe, Augusto M. Tentori, Amy E. Herr,

Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation

The unique physical and chemical properties of microfluidic devices have underpinned notable recent advances in molecular cell biology research and will facilitate a new era of biological enquiry of increased precision. The underlying physical properties of microfluidic tools have led to new biological insights through the development of microsystems that can manipulate, mimic and measure biology at a resolution that has not been possible with macroscale tools. Microsystems readily handle sub-microlitre volumes, precisely route predictable laminar fluid flows and match both perturbations and measurements to the length scales and timescales of biological systems. The advent of fabrication techniques that do not require highly specialized engineering facilities is fuelling the broad dissemination of microfluidic systems and their adaptation to specific biological questions. We describe how our understanding of molecular and cell biology is being and will continue to be advanced by precision microfluidic approaches and posit that microfluidic tools — in conjunction with advanced imaging, bioinformatics and molecular biology approaches — will transform biology into a precision science.