Embryo alignment makes microtechnique news

The latest microtechnique news from the Georgia Institute of Technology reports the creation of a microfluidic device capable of orienting fruit fly embryos for analysis.

Similar in size to a microscope slide, the compact system can hold around 700 embryos in alignment.

It works by washing them through an S-shaped channel wide enough that the embryos can move freely through it.

As they travel along the channel, they are directed into the 700 traps, which hold them in matching alignment.

The alignment of the embryo is important as it is one of the first characteristics to become apparent during development.

Other recent microtechnique news from the Georgia Institute of Technology has focused on interactions at the cellular level.

Using artificial proteins, scientists at the academic institution were able to learn more about how cellular processes take place, estimating that there may be as many as 1,000 structurally distinct interactions possible.