title: Dielectrophoretic separation of platelets from diluted whole blood in microfluidic channels.
abstract: The dielectrophoresis (DEP) phenomenon is used to separate platelets directly from diluted whole blood in microfluidic channels. By exploiting the fact that platelets are the smallest cell type in blood, we utilize the DEP-activated cell sorter (DACS) device to perform size-based fractionation of blood samples and continuously enrich the platelets in a label-free manner. Cytometry analysis revealed that a single pass through the two-stage DACS device yields a high purity of platelets (approximately 95%) at a throughput of approximately 2.2 x 10(4) cells/second/microchannel with minimal platelet activation. This work demonstrates gentle and label-free dielectrophoretic separation of delicate cells from complex samples and such a separation approach may open a path toward continuous screening of blood products by integrated microfluidic devices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pommer
authors.forename: Yanting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Nawarathna
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keerthi
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Carl D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Meinhart
authors.forename: Hyongsok T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Soh
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D046209:Electrophoresis, Microchip / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015539:Platelet Activation