Yang, QuansanXue, Jiaheng2026-02-052026-02-052025Xue_washington_0250O_29102.pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1773/55257Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive tumor initiation, therapy resistance, and relapse, but traditional bulk assays and multi-well screens average heterogeneous populations and obscure the behavior of rare CSCs. This dissertation reports the design and fabrication of a high-throughput microfluidic platform that enables gradient drug delivery and multiplex analysis at single-CSC resolution. Through iterative engineering of several chip architectures, we developed a final device that integrates microstructures for deterministic single-cell capture, a microchannel network that generates stable spatial drug gradients, and a multi-electrode array compatible with fluorescence imaging and label-free electrical measurements such as impedance spectroscopy. Using model CSC populations, we demonstrate robust single-cell trapping, long-term on-chip culture, and reproducible gradient exposure, and show that the resulting single-cell datasets reveal pronounced heterogeneity in drug response within nominally identical treatment groups. This platform provides a practical foundation for future integration with high-content imaging, multi-omics analysis, and patient-derived samples.application/pdfen-USnoneImpedanceMicrofluidics channel platformSingle cellTargeted drug deliveryMaterials ScienceMaterials science and engineeringThesis