Dielectrophoretic sensitivity analysis of cell characterization

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been intensively studied to differentiate cells treated with heat or drugs. To estimate cell properties from DEP experiments, the multi-dimensional relationship between the electrical polarization and the electrical properties of cell components should be understood. However, the limited information extracted from DEP experiments has imposed the burden of approximation of multiple cell properties. In this paper, we present a novel sensitivity analysis to predict cell properties from DEP experimental data. We generated virtual sample cells of various properties in given ranges. Then, the experimental conditions to achieve a higher sensitivity of a polarization factor to cell properties were found through a regressive analysis. Based on the sampling results, cell properties were estimated from the experimental data using a conventional frequency method and a new transition condition method. The estimation predicts the possible properties of cells, which benefits rigorous analysis of cell properties.