In this study, we develop an on-chip optoacoustic flow cytometry (OAFC), which combines multi-color high speed optoacoustic microscopy and microfluidics for cell imaging. The device employs a micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) optical scanner to achieve an ultrafast cross-sectional imaging at a frame rate of 1758 Hz, providing a lateral resolution of 2.8 μm in flowing direction and 2.2 μm in transverse direction. The outer size of OAFC is 30×17×24 mm3. By using multispectral strategy, OAFC is able to resolve particle distribution inside cancer cells, distinguish different cancer cells in a mixture, and screen a few cancer cells from red blood cells (RBCs). The results suggest that OAFC has sufficient sensitivity and specificity for future cell-on-chip applications, including volumetric consistently observation, single cell detection, and clinical cancer diagnosis.
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