Dielectrophoresis tweezers for single cell manipulation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Precise single-cell manipulation is crucial for various biomedical applications, including cell-cell interaction studies and stem cell research.
• Existing methods for cell positioning often face limitations in force, precision, or cell viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and characterize dielectrophoretic tweezers for high-precision, three-dimensional single-cell positioning.
• To demonstrate the capability of dielectrophoretic tweezers to trap and manipulate cells under fluid flow and during cell division.

Main Methods:

• Development of dielectrophoretic tweezers: a sharp glass tip with integrated electrodes.
• Utilizing a micromanipulator for precise 3D movement of the tweezers.
• Modeling of electric fields generated by the tweezers and coaxial microelectrodes.
• Experimental validation of cell trapping, positioning, and viability.

Main Results:

• Dielectrophoretic tweezers successfully trap single cells using electric fields.
• The device provides 3D positioning capabilities, holding cells against fluid flow (>100 µm/s) with >10 pN force.
• Cells remained viable and underwent division while trapped, indicating minimal harm.
• The tweezers demonstrated potential for simultaneous trapping, electroporation, and microinjection.

Conclusions:

• Dielectrophoretic tweezers offer a versatile and effective method for single-cell manipulation in research.
• This technology advances cell-based assays, developmental biology, and cellular engineering.
• The device's capabilities extend to minimally invasive cellular procedures like electroporation and microinjection.