Dielectrophoretic trapping of P19 cells on indium tin oxide based microelectrode arrays

A microfabricated device comprised of a microelectrode array (MEA) and a microfluidic channel is presented here for the purpose of trapping cells using positive dielectrophoresis (DEP). Transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes are patterned in an array of electrode pairs. A microfluidic channel made up of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is then attached on top of the electrode array. DEP is used to trap P19 cells at specific positions on the ITO electrode array within the PDMS channel. Our method provides exact positioning of cells and better cell access. We show here the design and results on cell trapping with this novel microelectrode array.