Measuring Cell-to-Cell Variability

(ETH Zurich, June 11, 2013)

Typically, measurements of cells produce an average value across a large number of cells. However, this method loses information about the cell-to-cell variability, which can be important in many cases. Researchers at ETH Zurich have devised a new method for isolating and measuring single cells. They use a glass slide that has many tiny holes drilled with a laser. They then draw the cell sample through the slide so that one or just a few cells remain in each hole. The researchers were able to test the effectiveness of their method using yeast with known properties.