(142an) A Continuous Label-Free Cell Separation Device Combining Inertial Microfluidics and Dielectrophoresis

Separating cells from whole blood samples is an essential preparatory step in cell biology research and in many medical assays. Various microscale separation techniques have evolved using biochemical labels resulting in isolation of cells in specific methods. However, in spite of its high sensitivity, these methods might not be quite desirable since it may alter the cellular characteristics, hinders post-capture processing (release, enumeration, and manipulation etc.), and limited by its low throughput. Here we have fabricated a high throughput, label-free microfluidic device to separate cancer cells utilizing its electrical polarizability and hydrodynamic properties for identification. Size based hydrodynamic focusing was achieved with spiral shaped microchannels followed by dielectrophoresis (DEP) to successfully isolate MCF-7 breast cancer cells from blood samples. In addition, dielectrophoretic characteristics and behavior of the cell in response to DEP forces also helped prevent cell clogging at the outlet ensuring a more precise focused separation with enhanced reproducibility.