System for identifying and targeting individual cells within a heterogeneous population for selective extraction of cellular content

A system for identifying and targeting individual cells within a plurality of cells contained in a sample for selective extraction of cellular content, comprising:

• a digital microfluidic device comprising a plate patterned to define at least one site configured to receive fluid and form a first droplet of said fluid thereon, and to adhere cells contained in the droplet, said site having an external perimeter and at least a portion of said plate being outside said external perimeter, said digital microfluidic device having a plurality of electrodes for moving droplets across said plate;
• an imaging system including a stage for receiving the digital microfluidic device, the imaging system including:
• an imaging module for imaging a plurality of cells adhered at a site of said at least one site and identifying at least one targeted cell from among the plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells further comprises at least one untargeted cell;
• and
• a pulsed laser source for laser lysing the at least one targeted cell thereby releasing the cell content to produce a lysate in said first droplet;
• and
• a control system for controlling the pulsed laser source, the imaging system and the digital microfluidic device, the control system being programmed with instructions for coordinating, when the digital microfluidics device is received at the stage:
• dispensing a first fluid droplet containing cells at a first one of said at least one site, to thereby adhere a plurality of said cells at said first one of said at least one site;
• selecting at least one targeted cell to be lysed from the plurality of cells at said first one of said at least one site,
• illuminating the at least one selected targeted cell at said first one of said at least one site by the pulsed laser source to lyse the at least one selected targeted cell to produce lysate;
• dispensing a second fluid droplet at a location on said plate outside of said first one of said at least one site;
• actuating said electrodes to move said second droplet across said plate to said first one of said at least one site;
• actuating said electrodes to move fluid containing the lysate across the plate away from the first site to a location on said plate outside said external perimeter of said site, to separate said fluid containing the lysate from the at least one untargeted cell at said site,
• wherein the at least one untargeted cell remains adhered to the site after the fluid containing the lysate is moved to said location on said plate outside said external perimeter of said site.