Cancer Detection with Electric Fields

Identification of Rare Cells Based on Their Unique Electrical Properties

Overview

Contactless Dielectrophoresis (cDEP) is a sterile cell sorting technique which uses high frequency electric fields to discriminate between different cell types based on their unique electrical properties.

This technique may enable point of care cancer diagnostics by identifying, isolating, and sorting circulating cancer cells in patient blood samples well before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Our laboratory develops the instrumentation, software, and devices necessary to implement this technique in a clinical setting.

Enrichment and Isolation

Devices designed for enrichment and isolation incorporate insulating features which dramatically distort the electric field. This induces a strong dielectrophoretic force on cells passing through the device. By carefully selecting the frequency of the applied voltage we can target and select specific cell populations.

Once enrichment is complete, the electric field is reduced and the cells are released downstream for collection and analysis.

Cell Sorting

Devices designed for cell sorting and separation incorporate features to controllably force cells to a desired location.

The frequency of the applied voltage can be adjusted to change the direction of the dielectrophoretic force. By carefully selecting this frequency, cells can be isolated from background populations and sorted into different channels for collection.

Publications

Simultaneous electrokinetic flow and dielectrophoretic trapping using perpendicular static and dynamic electric fields

Microfluidics and Nanofluidics

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Multilayer contactless dielectrophoresis: Theoretical considerations

Electrophoresis

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Joule heating effects on particle immobilization in insulator‐based dielectrophoretic devices

Electrophoresis

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Contactless dielectrophoretic spectroscopy: examination of the dielectric properties of cells found in blood

Electrophoresis

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Modeling And Development Of A Low Frequency Contactless Dielectrophoresis (cDEP) Platform To Sort Cancer Cells From Dilute Whole Blood Samples

Biosensors and Bioelectronics

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Selective Concentration of Human Cancer Cells Using Contactless Dielectrophoresis

Electrophoresis

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Dielectrophoretic Differentiation of Mouse Ovarian Surface Epithelial Cells, Macrophages, and Fibroblasts using Contactless Dielectrophoresis

BioMicrofluidics

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Investigating dielectric properties of different stages of syngeneic murine ovarian cancer cells

BioMicrofluidics

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Selective Isolation of Live/Dead Cells Using Contactless Dielectrophoresis (cDEP)

Lab On A Chip

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Contactless Dielectrophoresis: A New Technique For Cell Manipulation

Biomedical Microdevices

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