Microfluidics and its applications in quantitative biology

<正>INTRODUCTION Biology research is entering a new era when quantitative measurements are needed to advance our knowledge of the biological systems to the next level where biological behaviors can be understood, predicted and even manipulated. Microfluidics, which manipulate and process small amounts of fluid (10–9–10–18litres) by using channels with dimensions of tens to hundreds of micrometers, provides an exciting opportunity to study cellular behaviors at both single-and multi-cellular levels quantitatively [1].