Design and Modeling of a Device Combining Single-Cell Exposure to a Uniform Electrical Field and Simultaneous...

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Electrical Engineering
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Cell membrane electropermeabilization occurs under moderate electric fields (<2 V/cm, <100 MHz).
• Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is a valuable technique for studying electroporation due to its electrical characterization capabilities.
• Existing methods may not offer simultaneous electrical stimulation and characterization at the single-cell level.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device for simultaneous BIS and electroporation of single cells.
• To enable real-time monitoring of cells during electrical field exposure.
• To validate the device's suitability for electrical cell characterization.

Main Methods:

• Development of a LOC with integrated microfluidic cell trapping and microelectrodes.
• Numerical simulations to support the LOC design.
• Fabrication of the LOC and characterization of its measurement bandwidth.
• Testing with a reference medium simulating human cell conductivity.

Main Results:

• Successful design and fabrication of the LOC device.
• Demonstration of simultaneous BIS and electrical field exposure capabilities.
• Electrical characterization confirmed the device's measurement bandwidth is suitable for cell analysis.
• Simulations provided support for the LOC design.

Conclusions:

• The developed LOC device offers a novel platform for single-cell electropermeabilization studies using BIS.
• The device allows for simultaneous electrical stimulation, characterization, and visualization.
• This technology holds promise for advancing research in cell membrane biophysics and electroporation applications.