Analysis of the role of elution buffers on the separation capabilities of dielectrophoretic devices

• Main Authors: Rossana Di Martino, Massimo Camarda, Michele Cascio, Michele Gallo, Antonino Magliano, Salvatore Baldo, Alessandra Romano, Luigi Minafra, Giusi I. Forte, Giorgio Russo, Maria Carla Gilardi, Francesco Di Raimondo, Silvia Scalese, Antonino La Magna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-03-01
• Series: Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214180415300404

Field flow fractionation dielectrophoretic (FFF-DEP) devices are currently used, among the others, for the separation of tumor cells from healthy blood cells. To this end specific suspension/elution buffers (EBs), with reduced conductivity (with respect to that of the cell cytoplasm) are generally used. In this paper we investigate the long-term alterations of the cells and elution buffers. We find that the EB conductivity is critically modified within few minutes after cells suspension. In turn, this modification results in a change the ideal separation frequency of the FFF-DEP device. On the other hand we prove that DEP manipulation is preserved for more than three hours for cells suspended in the considered EBs. Keywords: Dielectrophoresis, Elution buffer, Circulating tumor cells, Cell motility