Integrating magnetic capabilities to intracellular chips for cell trapping

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Existing intracellular microchips lack cell trapping and preconcentration capabilities.
• Magnetic manipulation offers a non-contacting method for controlling microobjects at small scales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop intracellular microchips with integrated magnetic capabilities for cell enrichment.
• To demonstrate the combined functionality of coding and magnetic manipulation within a single intracellular device.

Main Methods:

• Internalization of nickel-based microchips into HeLa cells.
• Utilizing magnetic fields for the trapping and manipulation of cells tagged with microchips.
• Assessing cell viability post-internalization and chip functionality.

Main Results:

• HeLa cells internalized microchips without compromised viability.
• Demonstrated successful tagging of a cell subpopulation.
• Achieved magnetic trapping of cells with internalized barcodes, exerting forces up to 2.57 pN.

Conclusions:

• Intracellular Ni-based chips with magnetic properties enable effective cell enrichment.
• The integration of coding and magnetic manipulation on a single device showcases multi-functionality.
• This technology paves the way for advanced intracellular devices with enhanced cell manipulation capabilities.