Horizontal nDEP cages within open microwell arrays for precise positioning of cells and particles

On-chip dielectrophoretic single-cell manipulation

Bioanalysis at a single-cell level has yielded unparalleled insight into the heterogeneity of complex biological samples. Combined with Lab-on-a-Chip concepts, various simultaneous and high-frequency techniques and microfluidic platforms have led to the development of high-throughput platforms for single-cell analysis. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), an electrical approach based on the dielectric property of target cells, makes it possible to efficiently manipulate individual cells without labeling. This review focusses on the engineering designs of recent advanced microfluidic designs that utilize DEP techniques for multiple single-cell analyses. On-chip DEP is primarily effectuated by the induced dipole of dielectric particles, (i.e., cells) in a non-uniform electric field. In addition to simply capturing and releasing particles, DEP can also aid in more complex manipulations, such as rotation and moving along arbitrary predefined routes for numerous applications. Correspondingly, DEP electrodes can be designed with different patterns to achieve different geometric boundaries of the electric fields. Since many single-cell analyses require isolation and compartmentalization of individual cells, specific microstructures can also be incorporated into DEP devices. This article discusses common electrical and physical designs of single-cell DEP microfluidic devices as well as different categories of electrodes and microstructures. In addition, an up-to-date summary of achievements and challenges in current designs, together with prospects for future design direction, is provided.

Effect of geometry on dielectrophoretic trap stiffness in microparticle trapping

Dielectrophoresis, an electrokinetic technique, can be used for contactless manipulation of micro- and nano-size particles suspended in a fluid. We present a 3-D microfluidic DEP device with an orthogonal electrode configuration that uses negative dielectrophoresis to trap spherical polystyrene micro-particles. Traps with three different basic geometric shapes, i.e. triangular, square, and circular, and a fixed trap area of around 900 μm² were investigated to determine the effect of trap shape on dynamics and strength of particle trapping. Effects of trap geometry were quantitatively investigated by means of trap stiffness, with applied electric potentials from 6 V_P-P to 10 V_P-P at 1 MHz. Analyzing the trap stiffness with a trapped 4.42 μm spherical particle showed that the triangular trap is the strongest, while the square shape trap is the weakest. The trap stiffness grew more than eight times in triangular traps and six times in both square and circular traps when the potential of the applied electric field was increased from 6 V_P-P to 10 V_P-P at 1 MHz. With the maximum applied potential, i.e. 10 V_P-P at 1 MHz, the stiffness of the triangular trap was 60% and 26% stronger than the square and circular trap, respectively. A finite element model of the microfluidic DEP device was developed to numerically compute the DEP force for these trap shapes. The findings from the numerical computation demonstrate good agreement with the experimental analysis. The analysis of three different trap shapes provides important insights to predict trapping location, strength of the trapping zone, and optimized geometry for high throughput particle trapping.

Quantitative analysis of the three-dimensional trap stiffness of a dielectrophoretic corral trap

Dielectrophoresis is a robust approach for the manipulation and separation of (bio)particles using microfluidic platforms. We developed a dielectrophoretic corral trap in a microfluidic device that utilizes negative dielectrophoresis to capture single spherical polystyrene particles. Circular-shaped micron-size traps were employed inside the device and the three-dimensional trap stiffness (restoring trapping force from equilibrium trapping location) was analyzed using 4.42 μm particles and 1 MHz of an alternating electric field from 6 V_P-P to 10 V_P-P . The trap stiffness increased exponentially in the x- and y-direction, and linearly in the z-direction. Image analysis of the trapped particle movements revealed that the trap stiffness is increased 608.4, 539.3, and 79.7% by increasing the voltage from 6 V_P-P to 10 V_P-P in the x-, y-, and z-direction, respectively. The trap stiffness calculated from a finite element simulation of the device confirmed the experimental results. This analysis provides important insights to predict the trapping location, strength of the trapping, and optimum geometry for single particle trapping and its applications such as single-molecule analysis and drug discovery.

Improved Laser Manipulation for On-chip Fabricated Microstructures Based on Solution Replacement and Its Application in Single Cell Analysis

In this paper, we present the fabrication and assembly of microstructures inside a microfluidic device based on a photocrosslinkable resin and optical tweezers. We also report a method of solution replacement inside the microfluidic channel in order to improve the manipulation performance and apply the assembled microstructures for single cell cultivation. By the illumination of patterned ultraviolet (UV) through a microscope, microstructures of arbitrary shape were fabricated by the photocrosslinkable resin inside a microfluidic channel. Based on the microfluidic channel with both glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces, immovable and movable microstructures were fabricated and manipulated. The microstructures were fabricated at the desired places and manipulated by the optical tweezers. A rotational microstructure including a microgear and a rotation axis was assembled and rotated in demonstrating this technique. The improved laser manipulation of microstructures was achieved based on the on-chip solution replacement method. The manipulation speed of the microstructures increased when the viscosity of the solvent decreased. The movement efficiency of the fabricated microstructures inside the lower viscosity solvent was evaluated and compared with those microstructures inside the former high viscosity solvent. A novel cell cage was fabricated and the cultivation of a single yeast cell ( w303) was demonstrated in the cell cage, inside the microfluidic device.