Continuous-flow C. elegans fluorescence expression analysis with real-time image processing through microfluidics.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become an essential model organism in neuroscience research because of its stereotyped anatomy, relevance to human biology, and capacity for genetic manipulation. To solve the intrinsic challenges associated with performing manual operations on C. elegans, many automated chip designs based on immobilization-imaging-release approaches have been proposed.

A continuous-flow C. elegans sorting system with integrated optical fiber detection and laminar flow switching.

We present a high-throughput continuous-flow C. elegans sorting device that works based on integrated optical fiber detection and laminar flow switching. Two types of genetically engineered nematodes are allowed to flow into the device and their genotypes are detected based on their fluorescence, without the need for immobilization, by integrated optical fibers.