Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) Microfluidic Platform for Single-Cell Proteomic Analysis

Single-cell proteomics is an emerging field for proteomic analyses of individual cells. Single-cell genomic analyses have greatly expanded our understanding of cell heterogeneity and disease progression; however, protein identification and quantitative cell-to-cell variation provide a deeper level of understanding of the biological regulators in the cell. This is particularly relevant in diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD), where certain peptides and proteins contribute to neurotoxicity and pathogenesis, so understanding their abundance could help in the development of better diagnostics and therapeutics. While there are proteomic tools for cell ensembles, because of low protein quantities in singles cells and the complexity of the proteome, quantitative protein analysis at the single-cell level remains a challenge.