Researchers have developed a new capsule-based method that allows the analysis of the same cell through multiple experimental steps, according to a Mar. 12 announcement. The technology addresses a long-standing limitation in cell research by enabling repeated study of individual cells, which could lead to new ways of understanding disease mechanisms at the single-cell level.
The ability to analyze how individual cells change or respond to different conditions has been limited because scientists have typically only been able to examine each cell once. This has made it difficult to track cellular changes over time or under varying experimental setups.
The study, published in Science by Visiting Professor Linas Mazutis at Umeå University and his team, introduces semi-permeable capsule technology. Each microscopic capsule contains a single cell with a liquid core and is surrounded by a thin, porous membrane. This design allows small molecules such as enzymes and chemical reagents to pass through while retaining larger molecules like DNA and RNA inside the capsule.
This approach enables hundreds of thousands of individual cells to be treated and analyzed simultaneously using standard laboratory equipment. Unlike earlier droplet-based techniques, this method allows for multiple rounds of treatment and analysis without losing or contaminating the cells. "The capsules combine the speed of microfluidics – a technology that works with extremely small liquid volumes – with the flexibility of traditional laboratory workflows," said Linas Mazutis. "This makes it possible to carry out advanced molecular biology workflows step by step, while keeping each cell's genetic material isolated."
The researchers also demonstrated that cells can remain alive inside these capsules for extended periods or be broken down for genetic analysis. They introduced an RNA sequencing approach that helps identify fragile or rare cell types often missed by existing methods.
According to the research team, this technology is simple and scalable enough for widespread use in biological and medical research. In the future, it may provide deeper insights into disease development at the cellular level and support more precise treatments, such as studying how cancer cells within a tumor respond differently to drugs or identifying rare immune cells involved in disease.
