High-Throughput Single Cell Trapping and Patterning Using a Sandwiched Microfluidic Chip

Abstract

This paper presents a sandwiched microfluidic chip that allows effective trapping and patterning of single cells using positive-dielectrophoresis. The sandwiched chip consists of a double-layer interdigitated electrode, a thin membrane channel, and a microwell array. Each electrode can be independently controlled to generate spatially different electric fields, and a microwell can only accommodate one cell. After chip design and optimization based on the simulation results of the electric field, a chip prototype was fabricated using the Micro-Electro-Mechanical System technology. The single cell trapping and patterning of this chip were verified experimentally by controlling 97L-GFP and HDFn cells. The single cell trapping efficiency reached 83.7%, indicating that single cells can be trapped into the capture array with high-efficiency. Then, four types of signals were configured, and four single cell patterns were realized, indicating that the trapped single cells can be selectively released for patterning. These experimental results successfully demonstrated that the developed chip can facilitate the study of cell heterogeneity.