Microfluidic sorting of fluorescently activated cells depending on gene expression level.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Conventional fluorescence activated cell sorters are vital for biological research and clinical diagnostics but suffer from large size, high cost, and substantial sample volume requirements.
• There is a need for more accessible and efficient cell separation technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel microfluidic device for separating cells based on fluorescent protein expression levels.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional fluorescence activated cell sorters.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic chip was designed with focusing, detection, and separation modules.
• Cells were focused using sheath flow, excited by a 532 nm laser, and detected by a photomultiplier tube.
• Dielectrophoretic force was employed to separate cells into three outlets based on fluorescence intensity.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic system successfully separated genetically modified cells with high efficiency (94.7%).
• Optimal separation was achieved at a sample flow rate of 0.1 μL/min, sheath flow rate ratio of 1:5, 5 Vpp voltage, and 800 kHz frequency.
• The device demonstrated effective cell sorting based on varying fluorescent intensities.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic device offers a compact, cost-effective, and efficient solution for cell separation.
• This technology has the potential to advance biological and medical studies at a molecular level by enabling precise cell sorting.