A planar dielectrophoresis-based chip for high-throughput cell pairing

Abstract

This paper reports the design and fabrication of a planar chip for high-throughput cell trapping and pairing (more than 2400 single cell–cell pairs in a microwell array) in a 1 × 1.5 cm area by positive dielectrophoresis (p-DEP) within only several minutes. The p-DEP was generated by applying an alternating current signal on a novel two-pair interdigitated array (TPIDA) electrode. The TPIDA electrode not only enabled the planar chip to be incorporated with a most often used PDMS microfluidic channel, but also contributed to a high single cell–cell pairing efficiency up to 74.2% by decreasing the induced electric field during consecutive p-DEP trapping of two cell types. Furthermore, the paired cells in each microwell could be “pushed” together into a microbaffle by a liquid flow through a capillary-sized channel, resulting in single cell–cell contact. More importantly, the planar chip could be used repeatedly by a simple water cleaning process. The planar chip offers an effective way for high-throughput single cell–cell pairing, which could provide a facile platform for cell communication and a precise cell pairing step in cell fusion.