High-throughput single-cell sorting by stimulated Raman-activated cell ejection.

Image-guided single-cell sorting is a potent tool in diverse biological applications. Current microfluidic cell sorting methods encounter challenges in handling smaller cells and are not applicable to tissue sections. To address these challenges, we have developed a stimulated Raman-activated cell ejection (S-RACE) platform, which is the first demonstration of single-cell ejection coupled with coherent Raman scattering. S-RACE allows label-free chemical imaging guided cell sorting through multispectral stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging, on-the-fly image analysis, and laser-induced cell ejection. Versatile applications of S-RACE to a wide range of samples, such as polymer particles, single-live bacteria, single-live fungus, and tissue sections, are demonstrated.