title: Microfluidic impedance-based flow cytometry.
abstract: Microfabricated flow cytometers can detect, count, and analyze cells or particles using microfluidics and electronics to give impedance-based characterization. Such systems are being developed to provide simple, low-cost, label-free, and portable solutions for cell analysis. Recent work using microfabricated systems has demonstrated the capability to analyze micro-organisms, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and animal and human cell lines. Multifrequency impedance measurements can give multiparametric, high-content data that can be used to distinguish cell types. New combinations of microfluidic sample handling design and microscale flow phenomena have been used to focus and position cells within the channel for improved sensitivity. Robust designs will enable focusing at high flowrates while reducing requirements for control over multiple sample and sheath flows. Although microfluidic impedance-based flow cytometers have not yet or may never reach the extremely high throughput of conventional flow cytometers, the advantages of portability, simplicity, and ability to analyze single cells in small populations are, nevertheless, where chip-based cytometry can make a large impact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. kcheung@ece.ubc.ca
authors.forename: Karen C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Berardino
authors.forename: Grit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schade-Kampmann
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebeisen
authors.forename: Arkadiusz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierzchalski
authors.forename: Jozsef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bocsi
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mittag
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tárnok
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D002470:Cell Survival; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004867:Equipment Design; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity