Optimize, Adapt and Overcome - 7

Optimize, Adapt, and Overcome: Tips from the Cell Line Development Front * Single-Cell Printing for Establishing Monoclonality

Adapting the Ink-jet Printer Principle
An emergent technology for single-cell isolation
addresses a number of the shortcomings of existing
techniques. The CloneSelect™ Single-Cell Printer™
(Figure 1 and Figure 3, on page 9) has been adapted
from the principle of ink-jet printers, whereby microscopic, cell-containing droplets are generated and
ejected from a microfluidics-based cartridge. Cells
are randomly encapsulated within the droplets as
they are being dispensed into a microplate. Thus, a
series of five images are captured in order to screen
and select for single-cell-containing droplets prior
to deposition. If the software detects that zero or
multiple cells are present within the droplet, the
aforementioned cells are immediately siphoned off
by a vacuum. However, when a single-cell event is
detected, the vacuum is shut, allowing the droplet
to fall into the well.
This method of prescreening droplets significantly
improves the efficiency of single-cell deposit compared with limiting dilution. An average single-cell
deposit efficiency of >80% is observed under typical
experimental conditions with the single-cell printer
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| GENengnews.com

Figure 1. The CloneSelect™ Single-Cell Printer™ offers increased throughput and ease-of-use
to help meet the increasing demands in cell-line development.
http://www.GENengnews.com
Optimize, Adapt and Overcome

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