Semi-automated dielectrophoretic cell characterisation module for lab-on-chip applications

Dielectrophoresis is an electrical phenomenon that occurs when a polarisable particle is placed in non-uniform electrical fields. The magnitude of the generated force is dependent upon the electrophysiological make-up of the particle, therefore the specific DEP profile may be attained for any polarisable particles based on the intrinsic electrical properties alone. Any changes to these parameters may be detected by observing the corresponding DEP spectra. Despite having the advantages of being non-invasive, DEP applications are still not widely used due to the time-consuming processes involved. This study presents the preliminary outcomes in the development of a semi-automated DEP-based cell characterisation tool that allowed concurrent DEP experiments to be conducted serially, thus significantly reducing the time taken to complete the required sets of experiments. The results showed that the system is capable of producing a DEP spectrum for K562 leukaemic cells between the 10 kHz to 1 MHz range in less than 10 minutes, when recorded at eight points per decade.