Multi-modal Cell Analysis with Electronic Microdevices

Biological investigations at the cellular and molecular level offer exciting opportunities for diagnosis and monitoring of a disease, as well as for gaining biological insights to develop effective therapies. Well matched in size, microfluidic devices are ideally suited for probing cells as they offer unique capabilities to deterministically manipulate cells with high precision under a variety of forces. As such, any contrast in biophysical and biochemical properties among cells can be used to effectively separate different subpopulations. To utilize these extensive manipulation capabilities in performing quantitative measurements of different cell properties, we developed a sensor technology that allows electronic monitoring of cell manipulation within a microfluidic device. In my talk, I will present assays, in which cells are spatiotemporally segregated based on differences in their properties as built-in electrical sensors digitally record the trajectory of each and every cell in a microfluidic device to perform high-throughput physical and chemical analysis of cell populations.