Abstract EN:

This thesis describes a microfluidic platform allowing the functional screening of hybridoma cells on the single-cell level. In this system, individual cells from a heterogeneous population are encapsulated into aqueous microdroplets of a water-in-oil emulsion and assayed directly for the release of antibodies inhibiting drug targets. The microfluidic setup comprises a novel fully integrated chip which allows reinjection, fusion and sorting of droplets sufficiently large (~100 µm in diameter) for the cultivation of mammalian cells. We successfully used this device for the specific selection of hybridoma cells releasing antibodies inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme-1 (ACE-1). After cell encapsulation, the resulting emulsion was incubated off-chip for 6h to obtain significant antibody concentrations. Subsequently, the droplets were reinjected into another chip, fused with a second droplet species containing all components of a fluorescence assay for ACE-1 activity, and droplets with low fluorescence intensity (indicating ACE-1 inhibition) were sorted. A wide variance in antibody expression levels at the single-cell level within a single hybridoma line was observed and high expressors could be sorted and recultivated. The approach enabled screening more than 5_104 cells per hour and should even be applicable to non-immortalized primary B-cells, as no cell proliferation is required.