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Updated: Jun 16, 2025
Microfluidic Device for the Separation of Non-Metastatic MCF-7 and Non-Tumor MCF-10A Breast Cancer Cells Using AC Dielectrophoresis
Published on: August 11, 2022
Dielectrophoretic and electrochemical impedance mapping of metastatic potential in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells
Mohamad Fawzi Awad1, Zeina Habli1, Sahera Saleh1
1Neural Engineering and Nanobiosensors Group, Biomedical Engineering Program, Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon. mkhraiche@aub.edu.lb.
Abstract:
The spread of metastatic cancer cells poses a significant challenge in cancer treatment, making innovative approaches for early detection and diagnosis essential. Dielectrophoretic impedance spectroscopy (DEPIS), a powerful tool for cell analysis, combines dielectrophoresis (DEP) and impedance spectroscopy (IS) to separate, sort, cells and analyze their dielectric properties. In this study, we developed and built out-of-plane inkjet-printed castellated arrays to map the dielectric properties of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell subtypes across their metastatic potential. This was realized via modulating the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43), a marker associated with poor breast cancer prognosis and increased metastasis. We employed DEP-based trapping, followed by EIS measurements on bulk cell population, for rapid capture and differentiation of the cancer cells according to their metastatic state. Our results revealed a significant correlation between the various MDA-MB-231 metastatic subtypes and their respective dielectrophoretic and dielectric properties. Notably, cells with the highest metastatic potential exhibited the highest membrane capacitance 16.88 ± 3.24 mF m-2, followed by the less metastatic cell subtypes with membrane capacitances below 14.3 ± 2.54 mF m-2. In addition, highly metastatic cells exhibited lower crossover frequency (25 ± 1 kHz) compared to the less metastatic subtypes (≥27 ± 1 kHz), an important characteristic for cell sorting. Finally, EIS measurements showed distinct double layer capacitance (CDL) values at 1 kHz between the metastatic subgroups, confirming unique dielectric and dielectrophoretic properties correlated with the metastatic state of the cell. Our findings underscore the potential of DEPIS as a non-invasive and rapid analytical tool, offering insights into cancer biology and facilitating the development of personalized therapeutic interventions tailored to distinct metastatic stages.
