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Cell patterning using a dielectrophoretic–hydrodynamic trap

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Abstract

The paper presents a dielectrophoretic method for cell patterning using dielectrophoretic–hydrodynamic trap. A distinctive characteristic of the device is that the dielectrophoretic (DEP) force is generated using a structure that combines conventional electrode-based DEP (eDEP) with insulator-based DEP method (iDEP). The conventional eDEP force is generated across the microfluidic channel between a top plate indium tin oxide electrode and a thin CrAu electrode. Meantime, an isolating cage built from SU8 photoresist around the thin electrode modifies the electric field generating an iDEP force. The cells that are flowing through a microfluidic channel are trapped in the SU8 cage by the total DEP force. As a result, according to the cell dimension and the thickness of the SU8 layer, different cell patterns can be achieved. If the cell’s size is sensitively smaller than the dimensions of the hydrodynamic trap, due to the dipole–dipole interaction, the cell can be organized in 3D structures. The trapping method can be used for conducting genetic, biochemical or physiological studies on cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, Singapore, 138669, Singapore

    Ciprian Iliescu, Guolin Xu, Wen Hao Tong, Fang Yu & Hanry Yu

  2. NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Centre for Life Sciences (CeLS), #05-01, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117456, Singapore

    Wen Hao Tong & Fang Yu

  3. Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, MD9-03-03, 2 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Singapore

    Wen Hao Tong & Hanry Yu

  4. Laboratory of Micro and Nanofluidics - L10, National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies, (IMT-Bucharest), 077190, Bucharest, Romania

    Cătălin Mihai Bălan

  5. Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, 91400, Orsay, France

    Guillaume Tresset

  6. Singapore-MIT Alliance, National University of Singapore, E4 #04-10, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore, 117576, Singapore

    Hanry Yu

  7. Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, #10-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore

    Hanry Yu

  8. Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, T-Lab, #05-01, 5A Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117411, Singapore

    Hanry Yu

  9. Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Hanry Yu

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  1. Ciprian Iliescu
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  2. Guolin Xu
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Correspondence to Ciprian Iliescu.

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Iliescu, C., Xu, G., Tong, W.H. et al. Cell patterning using a dielectrophoretic–hydrodynamic trap. Microfluid Nanofluid 19, 363–373 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-015-1568-2

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