Abstract
Microfabricated flow cytometry has been extensively investigated recently. Miniaturization of flow cytometers by adopting microfabrication techniques to fabricate microchannels and micro-nozzles in silicon, glass/quartz, and even plastic substrates has been demonstrated. When compared with their large-scale counterparts, these micro flow cytometers are more compact in size, portable, cost-effective, user-friendly, and most importantly, could have almost comparable performance. In this chapter, microfabrication techniques for these micro flow cytometers were first reviewed. The operating principles for cell transportation, focusing, detection, and sorting inside these micro flow cytometers were briefly discussed. Finally, several promising applications including environmental monitoring, rapid assessment of bacterial viability, rapid analysis of bacteria levels in food, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and diagnosis of bacterial in blood and urine were reviewed. It can be envisioned that a portable flow cytometer system can be available for point-of-care applications if these issues can be addressed properly in the near future.