Cell porating and optically detecting microfluidic devices

An apparatus, comprising:

• a microfluidic device including:
• a reservoir to store a fluid containing at least a cell and at least a molecular probe;
• a cell-poration region fluidically coupled to the reservoir and including a set of electrodes;
• an optical-detection region fluidically coupled to the cell-poration region and including an optically transparent window associated with a wall of the optical-detection region;
• and
• a fluid ejector fluidically coupled to the optical-detection region;
• an optical sensing device to measure emitted light responsive to excitation light provided toward the optical-detection region;
• and
• circuitry communicatively coupled to the microfluidic device and the optical sensing device to drive flow of the fluid through the microfluidic device via the fluid ejector and to detect binding of the molecular probe to an intracellular target in the cell via the measured emitted light.

A method, comprising:

• flowing a fluid containing at least a cell and at least a molecular probe from a reservoir to a cell-poration region and to an optical-detection region of a microfluidic device via actuation of a fluid ejector and while the cell is exposed to the molecular probe;
• porating the cell using a cell-poration mechanism in the cell-poration region;
• providing excitation light toward an optically transparent window associated with a wall of the optical-detection region using an optical sensing device;
• assessing for a presence of an intracellular target in the cell using light emitted from the optical-detection region in response to the excitation light and associated with the cell;
• and
• selectively ejecting the cell from the microfluidic device to a substrate based on the assessment and using the fluid ejector.