Cell differentiation based on multi-directional light from a microfluidic chip

A method comprising:

• providing a sample to a microfluidic chip having a sample channel, the sample comprising a particle population having a first proportion of a first particle type to a second particle type;
• emitting, using an illuminating light source, a coherent light along an illumination axis such that the coherent light coincides with the sample as the sample passes through the channel;
• detecting, using a first light detector at a first location along a first direction from the microfluidic chip, a first set of one or more lights at one or more wavelengths traveling from the sample in the first direction;
• detecting, using a second light detector at the first location or at a second location along a second direction from the microfluidic chip, a second set of one or more lights at one or more wavelengths traveling from the sample in the second direction;
• and
• performing, based on the first set of lights and the second set of lights, a biasing operation so as to obtain a modified particle population having a second proportion of the first particle type to the second particle type.