A flow through device for simultaneous dielectrophoretic cell trapping and AC electroporation

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Cell isolation and transfection are crucial for biotechnology.
• Dielectrophoresis (DEP) and electroporation are key electrical methods for cell manipulation.
• Existing methods often require multiple power sources, complicating procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel flow-through lab-on-chip platform.
• To achieve combined cell trapping and transfection using a single AC excitation source.
• To overcome limitations of previous multi-source electrical cell manipulation techniques.

Main Methods:

• Utilized negative dielectrophoresis (nDEP) for cell trapping.
• Implemented AC electroporation for cell transfection.
• Integrated both functions onto a single lab-on-chip device powered by one AC source.
• Controlled operations via flow rate and AC field parameters.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated combined trapping and transfection of HEK-293 cells.
• Validated the platform's ability to control cell trapping, electroporation, and release.
• AC electroporation minimized side effects like electrolysis and joule heating.
• Numerical analysis suggests scalability for individual cell manipulation.

Conclusions:

• The developed platform offers a streamlined approach for cell transfection.
• A single AC source enables efficient and controlled cell trapping and electroporation.
• This technology holds promise for advancing cell biotechnology applications.