Electroporation and dielectrophoresis of single cells using a microfluidic system employing a microwave interferometric sensor

We describe a microfluidic device integrated with a microwave interferometric sensor that is able to simultaneously electroporate and measure the dielectrophoresis (DEP) response of single biological cells. The system can measure changes in dielectric properties of a cell permeabilized using a high-intensity pulsed electric field (PEF) from a few seconds after exposure to the pulses. It provides a mechanism for investigating time-dependent changes in the cell membrane and ion flux. Using this device, experiments performed on single Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells exposed to microsecond pulsed electric fields show significant changes in their DEP response immediately after exposure.