Electronic cages for living cells

Design and construction of an electronic cage is described which enables real-time manipulation of live and dead eukaryotic cells. Non-uniform, radio frequency (RF) AC electric fields are used to enable translational and rotational movement of cells, known as dielectrophoresis (DEP) and electro-rotation (EROT), and distinguish their state as viable and non-viable. A concentric multilayered mathematical model, applicable for eukaryotic cells, is also developed, coded and implemented. The simulations predict three dielectric dispersions in the DEP and EROT spectra, though in practice the third is very small so that two are observed. The cage is part of a multi-staged project incorporating controller and DEP/EROT digital signal generator and image processing.