A microfluidic platform for single-cell capture, stimulation, and imaging. It passively traps 4,000 single cells on a 4.5 mm2 footprint in 30 seconds, with a single-cell loading efficiency of 95%. The array format and optimized geometry allows for easy, robust and efficient single-cell loading, while maintaining captured cells in a low shear stress environment for long-term studies. Because cells are captured sequentially, the system is adequate for rare cell samples. Trapped cells can be exposed to various environmental conditions and chemical stimulus and their dynamic response can be monitored over time. The information gained from high-throughput, single-cell time lapsed imaging presents new opportunities in quantifying cellular responses, as averaged information by other measurement methods eliminates sub-population phenotypes.