(113b) Utilization of Direct Current Insulator-Based Dielectrophoresis in the Separation of Breast Cancer Infected Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Their Mixture with Healthy Cells

Currently, early stage breast cancer detection is a major challenge faced by developed and developing countries. Detecting this diseased cells at the teething stage can forestall the development of diverse complications including metastasis. In this work, a numerical simulation was used to characterize and separate breast cancer infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (iPBMCs) from their mixture with healthy mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) via direct current insulator-based dielectrophoresis (DC-iDEP) within a microfluidic platform. COMSOL Multiphysics v5.2 was used to simulate the device geometry consisting of a microchannel incorporating semicircular obstacles and bifurcating into two outlet channels with different applied voltages and different inlet concentrations in the range of 1 iPBMC per 10 - 10⁸ hPBMCs. Current conservation along with fluid flow, convection, and diffusion equations were used to predict the concentration distribution of the cells. Results indicated that the microdevice (which had a series of four 0.07 mm diameter semi-circular obstacles) when operated at an inlet electrode voltage of 130 V, and 0/50V at the outlet channels was able to separate iPBMCs from hPBMCs irrespective of the inlet percentage composition of the iPBMCs. The device has been fabricated and experimental validation of the simulation results is ongoing. The results obtained from the experiment will be compared with the simulationâ??s and relevant analyses will be made.