3D-printing-based microfluidic device for fast light scattering imaging of single cells

In this manuscript, we develop a 3D-printing based microfluidic device for light scattering imaging of single cells. A rapid fabrication method to make microfluidic device that enables 3D-hydrodynamic focusing by utilizing 3D printing technique is proposed. The focusing effect of the microfluidic cytometer was measured and shows the ability to confine the cells to flow near the center stream along the channel. Also, the standard beads with 9.51 μm in diameter were used to test the reliability of the device. The collected light scattering images are in good agreement with simulation results. We suggest that the 3D-printing based light scattering microfluidic device is in principle applicable for fast, label-free detection of single cells.