Design and Fabrication of an Automated Microchip-Based Cell Separation Device

摘要

A microchip-based cell separation system was developed and fabricated by integrating traveling-wave dielectrophoresis and laminar flow on a single biochip-based device.Numerical simulations regarding the geometric model of the planar electrode and microfluidic channel were performed primarily for electric-field and field-flow analysis.The fabrication processes of microelectrodes and microfluidic channels were investigated,and an automated method of measurement was developed for cell characterization.The function of the device was demonstrated by separating viable human myelogenous HL-60 cells from non-viable ones.The preliminary data achieved with this device indicated that cells in different physiological states could be effectively separated.The present chip,which is capable of separating and manipulating various kinds of bio-particle mixtures with different traveling-wave die-lectrophoresis responses,shows promise for applications in high-throughput integrated biological analysis systems.