title: Theoretical and experimental study of the role of cell-cell dipole interaction in dielectrophoretic devices: application to polynomial electrodes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to investigate the effect of cell-cell dipole interactions in the equilibrium distributions in dielectrophoretic devices.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a three dimensional coupled Monte Carlo-Poisson method to theoretically study the final distribution of a system of uncharged polarizable particles suspended in a static liquid medium under the action of an oscillating non-uniform electric field generated by polynomial electrodes. The simulated distributions have been compared with experimental ones observed in the case of MDA-MB-231 cells in the same operating conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The real and simulated distributions are consistent. In both cases the cells distribution near the electrodes is dominated by cell-cell dipole interactions which generate long chains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The agreement between real and simulated cells' distributions demonstrate the method's reliability. The distribution are dominated by cell-cell dipole interactions even at low density regimes (105 cell/ml). An improved estimate for the density threshold governing the interaction free regime is suggested.
authors.affiliation: CNR-IMM Sezione di Catania, Z,I, VIII Strada 5, I-95121 Catania, Italy. massimo.camarda@imm.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camarda
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fisicaro
authors.forename: Ruggero
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anzalone
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scalese
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: La Via
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Magna
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ballo
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giustolisi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minafra
authors.forename: Francesco P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Cammarata
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bravatà
authors.forename: Giusi I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gilardi
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002450:Cell Communication; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004566:Electrodes; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D016012:Poisson Distribution