# AI and Microfluidics: Unlocking Cellular Motility for Bioengineering

**Authors:** Xueying Zhao, Beibei Gao

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering13020172 · Bioengineering · 2026-01-31

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how combining AI with microfluidics helps study cell movement and could improve bioengineering and environmental monitoring.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the integration of AI and microfluidics for studying cell motility and their potential in bioengineering applications.

## Key findings

- AI and microfluidics together enable high-throughput analysis of cell movement and dynamics.
- Recent advances include improved microfluidic designs and AI-based sensing platforms.
- Challenges include data standardization and field deployment of these systems.

## Abstract

Cell movement is central to processes in biology, medicine, and environmental science. Microfluidic technologies have opened new possibilities for studying chemotaxis and motility by creating precise chemical gradients and realistic microenvironments, while allowing direct, real-time imaging under a microscope. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped how we analyze these behaviors, enabling automated image segmentation, cell tracking, and predictive modeling at scales that were previously impractical. Together, AI and microfluidics form a powerful combination. They offer high-throughput, quantitative insights into single-cell and collective dynamics and drive innovations in areas such as pollutant detection and bioremediation. This review explores recent progress in microfluidic design, AI-based analysis, and portable sensing platforms, and discusses the challenges of data standardization, interpretability, and field deployment. These advances point toward a future where intelligent microsystems play a key role in bioengineering and environmental monitoring.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** PFAS (phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine synthase) [NCBI Gene 5198] {aka FGAMS, FGAR-AT, FGARAT, GATD8, PURL}
- **Diseases:** AI (MESH:C538142), injury to (MESH:D014947), toxicity (MESH:D064420)
- **Chemicals:** polymers (MESH:D011108), nitrates (MESH:D009566), Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (-), heavy metals (MESH:D019216), agar (MESH:D000362), water (MESH:D014867), hydrocarbons (MESH:D006838)
- **Species:** Bacteria Latreille et al. 1825 (Bacteria stick insect, genus) [taxon 629395], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562]

## Full text

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## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12938666/full.md

## References

55 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12938666/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12938666