Handheld low pressure mechanical cell lysis device with single cell resolution

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for mechanical cell lysis with single cell resolution which requires very low applied pressure. The device can be handheld, simple to operate, requires no external power except for hand-applied pressure via a syringe, and is applicable to all cell types including yeast and bacterial cells. The device is also capable of mechanically lysing a single cell. A single cell is selected from a biological sample of interest. The single cell is lysed by application of mechanical stress in a single cell lysing apparatus having a trap structure for deterministically capturing the cell and a stress raiser that cooperates with a source of mechanical stress so as to apply sufficient force to rupture a cell. The stress raiser can be a properly designed edge of the trap or it can be a lithographically produced structure such as a nanoblade or a nanopillar.