Continuous cell from cell separation by traveling wave dielectrophoresis

In this contribution we present a label-free continuous separation device for suspended-grown biological cells based on traveling wave dielectrophoresis (twDEP). Suspended-grown cells could otherwise only be separated by flow-cytometry which requires elaborate labeling steps. The chip consists of a structured PDMS layer on glass in which the channels have been defined. Parallel electrodes positioned along the microfluidic channel were used to expose selected cells to a twDEP force perpendicular to a pressure driven flow. With this device we have successfully separated viable Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Jurkat (T-cell leukemia) cells from a mix also containing cell culture debris, non-viable cells, and Lactobacillus casei bacteria.