Dielectrophoretic Tweezers for Pickup and Relocation of Individual Cells Using Microdisk Electrodes with a Microcavity

Abstract

We describe here the dielectrophoretic manipulation using a microdisk electrode with microcavity for picking up, positioning and relocating single target cells. The attractive force of positive dielectrophoresis (p-DEP) was used to trap target cells at the electrode tip, while trapped cells were released by the repulsive force of negative DEP (n-DEP). The capturing of cells in the cavity allows them to transfer at the desired position even after turning off the attractive force by p-DEP. We demonstrate an application of the present technique in the patterning with living cells.