Optically-induced cell fusion on microfluidic chip utilizing locally enhanced electric field

This work reports a new approach called optically-induced cell fusion (OICF) which integrates cell-pairing microstructures and an optically-induced system to achieve cell fusion with high yields and efficiency. It is the first time in literature that cell-pairing SU8 microstructures were combined with optically-induced “virtual” electrodes to form the OICF system such that precise cell-pairing and high-yield cell fusion could be achieved. Experimental results showed that HeLa cells and MCF-7 cells could be successfully fused using this new approach. Furthermore, the new method allows one to selectively fuse cells by using addressable light patterns. It is therefore promising for further biomedical applications.