Continuous-flow size fractionation of extracellular vesicles using a micrifluidic junction featuring electrode microbridges

This paper reports for the first time, the leveraging of electrothermal flow and dielectrophoretic force for continuous-flow size fractionation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) through a microfluidic junction featuring electrode microbridges. The microbridges play a pivotal role in keeping large EVs on course to main outlet while small EVs and exosomes being dragged by a sheath flow to side outlets. The fractionation takes place in a high-conductive medium, which makes the device fit for the purification of target particles from physiological fluids which typically possess high conductivity.