Background:Work with primary cells is inherently limited by source availability and life span in culture. Flow cytometry offers extensive analytical opportunities but generally requires high cell numbers for an experiment. Methods: We have developed assays on a microfluidic system, which allow flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis and protein expression with a minimum number of fluorescently stained primary cells. In this setup, the cells are moved by pressure-driven flow inside a network of microfluidic channels and are analyzed individually by twochannel fluorescence detection. For some assays the staining reactions can be performed on-chip and the analysis is done without further washing steps. Results:We have successfully applied the assays to evaluate (a) activation of E-selectin (CD62E) expression by

Background: Cytomics aims at understanding the function of cellular systems by analysis of single cells. Recently, there has been a growing interest in single cell measurements being performed in microfluidic systems. These systems promise to integrate staining, measurement, and analysis in a single system. One important aspect is the limitation of allowable cell sizes due to microfluidic channel dimensions. Here we want to demonstrate the broad applicability of microfluidic chip technology for the analysis of many different cell types. Methods: We have developed a microfluidic chip and measurement system that allows flow cytometric analysis of fluorescently stained cells from different organisms. In this setup, the cells are moved by pressure-driven flow inside a network of microfluidic channels and are analyzed individually by fluorescence detection.

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