Manipulation of individual cells based on dielectrophoresis using a microdisk electrode with a microcavity

The handling of individual cells is important for investigating characteristics of cells. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) by the microelectrode have been applied to manipulate single target cells as a micro-tweezer [1-2]. A target cell was trapped by positive DEP (p-DEP) and released by negative DEP (n-DEP). However, the DEP force must be continuously applied during a cell transfer, because the trapped cells were released from the electrode tip by turning off the voltage. The cell damage should arise by exposing the cell to the strong electric field formed at the tip for a long period. In this presentation, we have applied DEP manipulation by a microdisk electrode with the microcavity for manipulating individual cells to pick up, transfer and relocate cells at the desired position.