Issue 20, 2013

Rapid dielectrophoretic characterization of single cells using the dielectrophoretic spring

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis-based cell separation has significant promise for separation of cells from heterogeneous mixtures based on their electrical properties and is used in diverse areas ranging from hematopoietic stem cell purification to cancer cell isolation. The electrical properties of cells in heterogeneous populations determine if and how well cell subpopulations are separable, and therefore the utility of dielectrophoretic separation is fundamentally determined by our ability to measure electrical properties of cell populations on a cell-by-cell basis. We developed an automated system for electrical characterization of cells that can characterize 1000's of individual cells across a range of conditions (>30 conditions/h). The system uses a continuous-flow microfluidic device and a method termed the dielectrophoretic spring that uses the force balance between dielectrophoresis and fluid drag to measure electrical properties of cells independent of size. We present characterization of the method with beads and cells as well as its application to rapidly find conditions that can discriminate neutrophils with different activation states.

Graphical abstract: Rapid dielectrophoretic characterization of single cells using the dielectrophoretic spring

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Mar 2013
Accepted
06 Aug 2013
First published
08 Aug 2013

Lab Chip, 2013,13, 4109-4117

Rapid dielectrophoretic characterization of single cells using the dielectrophoretic spring

H. Su, J. L. Prieto and J. Voldman, Lab Chip, 2013, 13, 4109 DOI: 10.1039/C3LC50392E

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