A cell electrofusion microfluidic device integrated with 3D thin-film microelectrode arrays

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Cell electrofusion is crucial for various biological applications.
• Existing microfluidic devices often require high voltages and struggle with efficiency.
• 3D electrode integration offers potential for improved electrofusion performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, fabricate, and test a novel microfluidic device for enhanced cell electrofusion.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of 3D thin film microelectrode arrays for low-voltage electrofusion.
• To compare the performance of the 3D device against conventional and existing microfluidic methods.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microfluidic device with 3D thin film microelectrode arrays on serpentine microchannel walls.
• Utilizing AC electric fields for cell alignment via dielectrophoresis.
• Applying sequential electric pulses for electroporation and cell fusion.
• Testing with K562 cells to determine alignment, pairing, and fusion efficiencies.

Main Results:

• Achieved high cell alignment (99%) and pairing (70.7%) efficiencies.
• Demonstrated successful K562 cell electrofusion at a low voltage (∼9 V).
• Reported a fusion efficiency of 43.1%, significantly higher than conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The 3D microfluidic device with integrated microelectrodes enables efficient low-voltage cell electrofusion.
• The device design minimizes multi-cell fusion through induced inhomogeneous electric fields.
• This technology offers a promising advancement for cell fusion applications in biotechnology.