High-throughput refractive index-based microphotonic sensor for enhanced cellular discrimination

Abstract This paper presents a novel microphotonic sensor based on silicon technologies for high-throughput single cell measurements. It employs a highly sensitive Fabry-Perot resonant cavity to extract cellular refractive index information. The integrated large cross-section rib waveguides provide a single-mode like behavior important for resonant cell sensing. Differentiated myeloid cells derived from a promyelocytic leukemia cell line were injected in a microchannel, sheathlessly focused using inertial forces and analyzed while flowing through the resonant cavity volume. Results were compared against a commercial flow cytometer and showed a substantial improvement on cellular discrimination. Thus, this sensor has the ability to discriminate cell populations, usually identified using fluorescent parameters, without any dyes and can reach measurement rate as high as 2000 cells per second. By harnessing the cell's effective volume refractive index, our device offers complementary measurements readily improving actual technologies and thus providing crucial information for research and clinical professionals.