8-Channel Single Embryo Pipette For Accurate C-Elegans Bioassays

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a powerful model organism for addressing fundamental biological questions related to human disease and aging. Accurate control of the number of worms is a primary step for quantitative biological or biochemical worm analysis and assays. However, conventional single-worm isolation methods often encounter operational complexity, involving manual manipulation steps that result in relatively low throughput and a lack of accuracy, with possible physical damage of the worms. Here, we propose an "8-channel Single Embryo Pipette" (8-SEP) that was specifically designed for rapid and highly efficient dispensing of single C. elegans embryos, from an embryo suspension directly into standard microtiter plates. Our microfluidic device takes advantage of pressure-tuned flexible embryo microtraps by means of which single embryos can be easily captured and released on-demand. 8-SEP fluidic manipulations do not have an adverse impact on embryo or worm physiology as monitored by normal development of the embryos after dispensing.