MICROFLUIDIC IN-VIVO THERMAL PERTURBATION OF SELF-ASSEMBLED DROSOPHILA EMBRYOS TO STUDY THE ROBUSTNESS OF CELLULAR GENETICS

We report the immobilization of Drosophila embryos on oil-covered self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) inside a microfluidic channel for thermal perturbation of embryos using laminar flows. We analyzed the fluid and heat transport in the microchannels using both numerical simulation and fluorescence thermometry. Thermally perturbed cellular events of gastrulation along the embryo membrane were captured in real-time using differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging. Unnatural asynchrony was observed when the embryo was exposed to a binary flow of 35°C at the posterior end and 20°C at the anterior.