IntroductionMicrofluidic chip-based platforms have become increasingly popular in recent years for applications such as separation and detection,1–5PCR and/or DNA analysis,6–11and cell manipulation12–14owing to the speed of chip-based processes and the potential for very-large-scale integration. Using microfluidic devices for applications involving biological cells has been motivated by the potential for integrating manipulation and analysis steps, as well as increased sampling throughput and efficiency. Cell adhesion in chips, which results from hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between cells and the extracellular silica substrate, is a major stumbling block to single- and multiple-cell analyses unless cells are chosen specifically to avoid adhesion. Techniques that reduce cell adhesion must be compatible with various buffers and techniques used for cell analysis (e.g., electrophoresis, and absorbance/LIF detection).