阵列叉指式芯片研究细胞介电电泳富集过程

采用阵列叉指电极介电电泳(Dielectrophoresis,DEP)芯片,构建了集成DEP芯片分析和操控系统,应用Coventorware有限元分析软件模拟分析了芯片表面的电场分布情况;以红细胞和结肠癌细胞样品为分析对象,实现了两种细胞样品在芯片上的正负介电电泳定位富集.实验发现,交流信号幅值Vp-p是决定DEP富集效率的主因,交流信号频率f和缓冲溶液是改变细胞介电电泳类型的参量;在0.9% NaCl中,施加频率为10和3 MHz、电压5 V的交流频率,结肠癌细胞的正介电电泳(Positive-dielectrophoresis, pDEP)和负介电电泳(Nagetive-dielectrophoresis, nDEP)富集效率分别为87.2%和84.8%.     

阵列式对电极介电电泳芯片及其用于细胞分离富集研究

基于介电电泳原理, 设计并制作了一种新型的能够用于细胞分离和富集的微流控介电电泳芯片. 该芯片由沉积有金电极的石英基片和带有微管道的聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)盖片组成. 通过在管道底部布置间距不同的对电极阵列, 增大了正介电电泳力在管道中的有效作用范围, 能够在降低施加电压的同时, 实现对流动体系中细胞样品的捕获. 在3 V和3 MHz条件下, 该DEP芯片对人血红细胞的捕获效率达到83%; 进一步通过将肝癌细胞捕获在芯片电极上可实现对红细胞和肝癌细胞混合样品的分离, 在5 V和400 kHz条件下对肝癌细胞的捕获效率达到86%.     

生化样本的芯片介电电泳富集和分离研究进展

芯片介电电泳技术是以介电电泳(DEP)分离原理和微机电加工技术为依托发展起来的可用于生化样品分析的新型分析技术.本文概述了芯片介电电泳技术的发展和DEP芯片分析系统的构成,并以DEP操控模式为切入点,介绍了芯片介电电泳在生化样品分析中的应用情况.     

基于芯片介电电泳的细胞特性分析及种类判断

基于微流控芯片介电电泳( Dielectrophoresis,DEP)原理和技术,在自行设计制作的抛物线电极结构的微流控介电电泳芯片上,采用芯片介电泳临界频率测定法,选择缓冲液电导率为200～1000 μS/cm,激发电压为5V,分别对红细胞(RBC)、白细胞(WBC)和死活HepG2肝癌细胞的临界频率进行了测试,检测...     

基于介电电泳的微流控细胞分离芯片的研究进展

细胞分离技术是细胞分选和细胞种群纯化的重要手段,在生物、医学、农业、环境等许多领域都有重要的应用,是当前生化分析领域的国际研究热点。本文介绍了基于介电电泳的微流控细胞分离芯片的研究现状,阐述了介电电泳的工作原理,并依据细胞尺寸、电极形状、外加信号方式等影响细胞介电电泳的关键因素对不同类型的微流控细胞分离芯片进行了详细介绍,并对该技术的未来发展趋势做了展望。     

金纳米电极对多巴胺和5-羟色胺的电化学富集和拉曼光谱检测

对小分子神经递质多巴胺(Dopamine, DA)和5-羟色胺(5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT)的同时分析和检测是生命科学领域中的研究热点。单一的电化学检测手段难以有效地识别分析物,因此,多模量的同时分析尤为重要。本研究在碳纳米电极(Carbon-nanoelectrode nanopipette, CNE-NP)的基础上,通过电化学反应在其尖端沉积金,构建了一种具有电化学特性和拉曼活性的双功能金纳米电极(Gold-nanoelectrode nanopipette, GNE-NP)。经过交流介电泳(Dielectrophoresis, DEP)富集后,可用于对低浓度的DA和5-HT的检测分析。研究结果表明,此电极实现了两者的电化学响应的增强和区分。此外,引入的银纳米颗粒(AgNPs)作为拉曼增强因子和捕获分析物的纳米颗粒,同样地经过DEP富集方法,使分析物的拉曼信号增强了2个数量级,且能对共混物进行特征峰的区分。将此电极应用于血浆样品分析,可得到富集增强的电化学响应,但电化学响应会受到富集次数的限制。     

微流控芯片系统中固液双相分离富集技术

发展微流控芯片系统中的分离富集技术，是微全分析系统向集成化、自动化和便携化发展必须突破的瓶颈之一，正逐步成为微全分析系统研究和应用领域的前沿和热点。本文针对重要而且应用广泛的固液双相分离富集技术，详细介绍了过滤式、膜分离式、固相萃取式等不同分离富集操作模式在微流控芯片系统中的应用，对每一种操作模式的特点、研究现状、存在的问题和发展趋势进行了综述。     

离子交换分离在离子选择电极中的应用及展望

鉴于离子选择电极用于分析复杂试样时的困难,本文综述了近年来在提高离子变换分离的选择性方面取得的显著进展,指出全属和非金属离子可用合适的离子交换剂分离和富集,然后用离子选择电级测定。文章对离子交换分离在离子选择电极中可能的应用作了介绍。     

基于薄膜电极的细胞电融合芯片

构建了一种薄膜电极阵列结构的细胞电融合芯片, 通过多聚物微通道底/顶层凸齿状的微电极, 以及多聚物微通道侧壁上溅射形成的一层离散式金属薄膜电极, 共同形成离散式"三明治"微电极结构. 该微电极结构可在微通道内部形成与传统凸齿状电极相似的非均匀分布的梯度电场, 通过介电电泳效应进行细胞控制及排队. 利用多聚物在芯片上填充了传统凸齿状电极的凹陷区, 克服了细胞在凹陷区无法有效排队与融合的缺点. 在芯片上利用K562细胞开展了基于介电电泳效应的细胞排队实验及基于可逆性电穿孔效应的电融合实验, 结果表明该芯片能够较好地实现细胞排队及融合, 融合所需控制电压低至10 V左右. 细胞排队率达99%以上, 几乎无细胞在绝缘物填充区(传统凸齿电极芯片的凹陷区)滞留, 细胞两两排队高于60%, 细胞融合效率约为40%, 比传统的细胞电融合方法和凸齿电极芯片有较大提高.     

微流控芯片差示式非接触电导检测器的研制

研制了一种适合普通厚度盖片的分析芯片的差示式非接触电导检测器。在芯片上制作分离通道和参比通道,并在独立的电极板上对应于两通道末端位置设置两对电极,分析芯片置于电极板上。信号发生器产生的高频信号分成两路,分别加至分离通道和参比通道对应的激发电极,两通道对应的接收电极的微弱信号经差示放大和整流。当组分经过分离通道电极间区域时,电导率与参比通道出现差异,获得检测信号。实验考察了激发频率、激发电压、电极间距等对检测性能的影响。在优化检测条件下,即检测频率100 kHz、检测电压10 V(Vp-p)、电极间距0.9 mm时,对K+的检出限达12μmol·L-1,相对标准偏差为1.1%,并成功用于Na+、K+离子的分离检测。该检测器适用于容易制作的普通厚度盖片的分析芯片的检测,且芯片与电极板相互独立,使用方便。     

The dielectrophoretic levitation and separation of latex beads in microchips.

A linear travelling wave dielectrophoretic (twDEP) microchip was fabricated and used to investigate both the levitation and the twDEP motion of latex beads as a function of applied potential and frequency, suspending medium conductivity, bead size, and surface characteristics. The surface conductance of the latex beads was characterised by measurement of the dielectrophoretic (DEP) crossover frequency. Collection of sample prior to initiation of twDEP was achieved using positive DEP forces generated by an integrated pair of parallel electrodes positioned in front of the twDEP array within the microfluidic channel. The principle of linear twDEP separation is shown using latex beads and rabbit heart cells.     

A discrete dielectrophoresis device for the separation of malaria-infected cells

Malaria is a serious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that infect red blood cells (RBCs). This paper presents the continuous separation of malaria-infected RBCs (iRBCs) from normal blood cells. The proposed method employed the discrete dielectrophoresis (DEP) in a microfluidic device with interdigitated electrodes. Our aim is to treat a sample having high concentration of cells to realize high throughput and to prevent the clogging of the microchannel with the use of the discrete DEP. The discrete DEP force for deflecting cells in the device was controlled by adjusting the magnitude, frequency, and duty cycle of the applied voltage. The effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated by separating the malaria-infected cells in samples having a cell concentration of 10⁶ cells/µl. From experimental results, we determined the enrichment that is needed to enhance the detection in the case of low parasitemia. The enrichment of the infected cells at the device output was 3000 times as high as that of the input containing 1 infected cell to 10⁶ normal cells. Therefore, the proposed method is highly effective and can significantly facilitate the detection of the infected cells for the identification of Malaria patients.     

Dielectrophoresis microsystem with integrated flow cytometers for on-line monitoring of sorting efficiency

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) and flow cytometry are powerful technologies and widely applied in microfluidic systems for handling and measuring cells and particles. Here, we present a novel microchip with a DEP selective filter integrated with two microchip flow cytometers (FCs) for on-line monitoring of cell sorting processes. On the microchip, the DEP filter is integrated in a microfluidic channel network to sort yeast cells by positive DEP. The two FCs detection windows are set upstream and downstream of the DEP filter. When a cell passes through the detection windows, the light scattered by the cell is measured by integrated polymer optical elements (waveguide, lens, and fiber coupler). By comparing the cell counting rates measured by the two FCs, the collection efficiency of the DEP filter can be determined. The chips were used for quantitative determination of the effect of flow rate, applied voltage, conductivity of the sample, and frequency of the electric field on the sorting efficiency. A theoretical model for the capture efficiency was developed and a reasonable agreement with the experimental results observed. Viable and non-viable yeast cells showed different frequency dependencies and were sorted with high efficiency. At 2 MHz, more than 90% of the viable and less than 10% of the non-viable cells were captured on the DEP filter. The presented approach provides quantitative real-time data for sorting a large number of cells and will allow optimization of the conditions for, e.g., collecting cancer cells on a DEP filter while normal cells pass through the system. Furthermore, the microstructure is simple to fabricate and can easily be integrated with other microstructures for lab-on-a-chip applications.     

Embedded passivated-electrode insulator-based dielectrophoresis (EπDEP)

Here, we introduce a new technique called embedded passivated-electrode insulator-based dielectrophoresis (EπDEP) for preconcentration, separation, or enrichment of bioparticles, including living cells. This new method combines traditional electrode-based DEP and insulator-based DEP with the objective of enhancing the electric field strength and capture efficiency within the microfluidic channel while alleviating direct contact between the electrode and the fluid. The EπDEP chip contains embedded electrodes within the microfluidic channel covered by a thin passivation layer of only 4 μm. The channel was designed with two nonaligned vertical columns of insulated microposts (200 μm diameter, 50 μm spacing) located between the electrodes (600 μm wide, 600 μm horizontal spacing) to generate nonuniform electric field lines to concentrate cells while maintaining steady flow in the channel. The performance of the chip was demonstrated using Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial pathogens in aqueous media. Trapping efficiencies of 100 % were obtained for both pathogens at an applied AC voltage of 50 V peak-to-peak and flow rates as high as 10 μl/min.     

Use of a Carbon-ink Microelectrode Array for Signal Enhancement in Microchip Electrophoresis with Electrochemical Detection

In this communication, we demonstrate that a carbon ink microelectrode array, where the electrodes are held at the same potential, affords significant signal enhancement in microchip electrophoresis with amperometric detection. The ability to fabricate an array of carbon ink microelectrodes with a palladium decoupler was demonstrated and the resulting electrodes were integrated with a valving microchip design. The use of an 8 electrode array led to a significant improvement in the limits of detection at the expense of separation resolution due to the increased detection zone size. It is also shown that microdialysis sampling can be integrated with the microchip device and a multi-analyte separation achieved.     

Hybrid cell adhesive material for instant dielectrophoretic cell trapping and long-term cell function assessment

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) for cell manipulation has focused, for the most part, on approaches for separation/enrichment of cells of interest. Advancements in cell positioning and immobilization onto substrates for cell culture, either as single cells or as cell aggregates, has benefited from the intensified research efforts in DEP (electrokinetic) manipulation. However, there has yet to be a DEP approach that provides the conditions for cell manipulation while promoting cell function processes such as cell differentiation. Here we present the first demonstration of a system that combines DEP with a hybrid cell adhesive material (hCAM) to allow for cell entrapment and cell function, as demonstrated by cell differentiation into neuronlike cells (NLCs). The hCAM, comprised of polyelectrolytes and fibronectin, was engineered to function as an instantaneous cell adhesive surface after DEP manipulation and to support long-term cell function (cell proliferation, induction, and differentiation). Pluripotent P19 mouse embryonal carcinoma cells flowing within a microchannel were attracted to the DEP electrode surface and remained adhered onto the hCAM coating under a fluid flow field after the DEP forces were removed. Cells remained viable after DEP manipulation for up to 8 d, during which time the P19 cells were induced to differentiate into NLCs. This approach could have further applications in areas such as cell-cell communication, three-dimensional cell aggregates to create cell microenvironments, and cell cocultures.     

Label-free enrichment of MCF7 breast cancer cells from leukocytes using continuous flow dielectrophoresis

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) present in the bloodstream are strongly linked to the invasive behavior of cancer; therefore, their detection holds great significance for monitoring disease progression. Currently available CTC isolation tools are often based on tumor-specific antigen or cell size approaches. However, these techniques are limited due to the lack of a unique and universal marker for CTCs, and the overlapping size between CTCs and regular blood cells. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), governed by the intrinsic dielectric properties of the particles, is a promising marker-free, accurate, fast, and low-cost technique that enables the isolation of CTCs from blood cells. This study presents a continuous flow, antibody-free DEP-based microfluidic device to concentrate MCF7 breast cancer cells, a well-established CTC model, in the presence of leukocytes extracted from human blood samples. The enrichment strategy was determined according to the DEP responses of the corresponding cells, obtained in our previously reported DEP spectrum study. It was based on the positive-DEP integrated with hydrodynamic focusing under continuous flow. In the proposed device, the parylene microchannel with two inlets and outlets was built on top of rectangular and equally spaced isolated planar electrodes rotated certain degree relative to the main flow (13°). The recovery of MCF7 cells mixed with leukocytes was 74%–98% at a frequency of 1 MHz and a magnitude of 10–12 V_pp. Overall, the results revealed that the presented system successfully concentrates MCF7 cancer cells from leukocytes, ultimately verifying our DEP spectrum study, in which the enrichment frequency and separation strategy of the microfluidic system were determined.