Thin Layer Chromatography Goes Ultrasmall to Assay Sphingosine Kinase Activation in Single Primary Leukemic Cells.

Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in lipid signaling underlies variations in response and recurrence for many cancers, including leukemias. A highly parallel, miniaturized thin-layer chromatographic platform capable of assaying single cells was developed. Ultrasmall volumes (50 pL) of standard fluorescent lipids were separated with excellent repeatability, reproducibility, and limits of detection.