High-throughput multicolor 3D localization in live cells by depth-encoding imaging flow cytometry

Imaging flow cytometry replaces the canonical point-source detector of flow cytometry with a camera, unveiling subsample details in 2D images while maintaining high-throughput. Here we show that the technique is inherently compatible with 3D localization microscopy by point-spread-function engineering, namely the encoding of emitter depth in the emission pattern captured by a camera. By exploiting the laminar-flow profile in microfluidics, 3D positions can be extracted from cells or other objects of interest by calibrating the depth-dependent response of the imaging system using fluorescent microspheres mixed with the sample buffer. We demonstrate this approach for measuring fluorescently-labeled DNA in vitro and the chromosomal compaction state in large populations of live cells, collecting thousands of samples each minute. Furthermore, our approach is fully compatible with existing commercial apparatus, and can extend the imaging volume of the device, enabling faster flowrates thereby increasing throughput.