DESIGN an‎d SIMULATION OF A NOVEL C-DEP MICROFLUIDICS FOR SINGLE CELL TRAPPING

Dielectrophoresis (DEP), as a promising tool, have been used to separate, sort and deform bio-particles. In traditional method of DEP, the direct contact of electrodes with bio-particles leads to contamination and lysis of cells and joule heating in medium. In new DEP methods, such as isolated DEP (iDEP) or contactless DEP (cDEP), some of these rigors are overcame. In the method presented herein, these new techniques are used to provide a non-uniform electric field to trap a single cell in a desired area. We used the insulating structures to guide a flow as well as the manipulation of particles. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to obtain an optimized microstructure. The joule heating and maximum DEP force is compared with traditional method and results prove the capability of these systems to trap a single cell efficiently.