Dielectrophoresis Characterization of Particles and Cells using Imaging Flow Cytometry

We present a microfluidic flow cytometer capable of dual-modality imaging/dielectric characterization of single biological cells. A high-speed camera captures and tracks multiple particles as they pass through a microfluidic channel and over a coplanar electrode array that applies a non-uniform electric field and induces dielectrophoresis (DEP) translation. Imaging and particle tracking provides particle morphology and velocity information. Multiphysics dielectric-fluid dynamics simulation is used to determine cell dielectric properties from velocity changes. The system is evaluated using polystyrene microspheres and demonstrated using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells.