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Dielectrophoretic manipulation of finite sized species and the importance of the quadrupolar contribution.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2005

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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Electrophoretic Separation of Proteins

Electrophoretic Separation of Proteins

Published on: June 12, 2008

High-Sensitivity in Dielectrophoresis Separations.

Benjamin G Hawkins¹, Nelson Lai¹, David S Clague¹

¹Biomedical Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.

|April 15, 2020

Summary

Dielectrophoretic (DEP) techniques enable label-free cell manipulation in microfluidics. New methods using multiple electric fields enhance DEP cell separation by exploiting variations in cell size and electrical properties.

Keywords:

cell separation dielectrophoresis microfluidics

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Microfluidics
Cellular Engineering

Background:

Dielectrophoretic (DEP) techniques are increasingly used for label-free cell manipulation in microfluidic systems.
Current methods face limitations in achieving high-sensitivity separations for subtle cellular phenotypic differences.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore advanced DEP techniques for enhanced cell separation.
To leverage DEP's reliance on particle electrical properties to address phenotypic variations, particularly in cell size.

Main Methods:

Application of multiple electric fields with spatially mapped magnitude and/or frequencies.
Utilizing DEP actuation forces that are dependent on particle electrical properties.
Focusing on phenotypic variations in cell size for separation strategies.

Main Results:

Demonstration of promising approaches for DEP-based cell separation.
Expansion of DEP capabilities for isolating cells with subtle phenotypic differences.
Successful exploitation of electrical property variations for enhanced separation.

Conclusions:

Advanced DEP techniques offer significant potential for high-sensitivity cell separation.
Multi-field DEP strategies effectively address challenges in isolating cells based on phenotypic variations.
The study expands the utility of DEP in microfluidic cell manipulation and analysis.