Rapidly sorting and separating cells are critical for detecting diseases such as cancers and infections and can enable a great number of applications in bio-related science and technology. While a variety of techniques demonstrate separation by physical parameters such as size[1] and mass[2], inexpensive and easy to use methods are needed to separate cells by mechanical compliance. A number of pathophysiological states of individual cells result in drastic changes in stiffness in comparison with healthy counterparts. Mechanical stiffness has been utilized to identify abnormal cell populations in detecting cancer[3–5] and identifying infectious disease[4, 6]. Recently, microfluidic methods were developed to classify and enrich cell populations utilizing mechanical stiffness[7–9]. We demonstrate a new strategy to continuously and non-destructively separate cells into subpopulations of soft and stiff cells. In our microfluidic separation method, we employ a microchannel with the top wall decorated by a periodic array of rigid diagonal ridges (Fig. 1). The gap between the ridges and the bottom channel wall is smaller than the cell diameter, thus the cells are periodically compressed by the ridges. The difference in mechanical resistance to compression of cells gives rise to a stiffness-dependent force associated with cell passage through narrow constrictions formed by the consecutive channel ridges. This elastic force is directed normal to the compressive diagonal ridges and, therefore, deflects cells propelled by the flow in the lateral direction with a rate proportional to their compliance. In this paper, we employ this principle to separate modified lymphoblastic cells with dissimilar mechanical stiffness in high-throughput.
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ASME 2012 Summer Bioengineering Conference
June 20–23, 2012
Fajardo, Puerto Rico, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Bioengineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4480-9
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Stiffness Dependent Separation of Cells in a Microfluidic Device Available to Purchase
Gonghao Wang,
Gonghao Wang
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
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Wenbin Mao,
Wenbin Mao
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
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Caitlin Henegar,
Caitlin Henegar
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
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Alexander Alexeev,
Alexander Alexeev
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
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Todd Sulchek
Todd Sulchek
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
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Gonghao Wang
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Wenbin Mao
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Caitlin Henegar
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Alexander Alexeev
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Todd Sulchek
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Paper No:
SBC2012-80095, pp. 241-242; 2 pages
Published Online:
July 19, 2013
Citation
Wang, G, Mao, W, Henegar, C, Alexeev, A, & Sulchek, T. "Stiffness Dependent Separation of Cells in a Microfluidic Device." Proceedings of the ASME 2012 Summer Bioengineering Conference. ASME 2012 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Parts A and B. Fajardo, Puerto Rico, USA. June 20–23, 2012. pp. 241-242. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/SBC2012-80095
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