Droplet-Based Microfluidics with Mass Spectrometry for Microproteomics

Abstract

Microproteomics, the profiling of protein expressions in small cell populations or individual cells, is essential for understanding complex biological systems. However, sample loss and insufficient sensitivity of analytical techniques pose severe challenges to this field. Microfluidics, particularly droplet-based microfluidics, provides an ideal approach by enabling miniaturized and integrated workflows to process samples and offers several advantages, including reduced sample loss, low reagent consumption, faster reaction times, and improved throughput. Droplet-based microfluidics manipulates droplets of fluids to function as discrete reaction units, enabling complex chemical reactions and biological workflows in a miniaturized setting. This article discusses a variety of on-chip functions of droplet-based microfluidics, including cell sorting, cell culture, and sample processing. We then highlight recent advances in the mass spectrometry (MS)-based analysis of single cells using droplet-based microfluidic platforms, including digital microfluidics (DMF). Finally, we review the integrated DMF–MS systems that enable automated and parallel proteomic profiling of single cells with high sensitivity and discuss the applications of the technology and its future perspectives.