한 쌍의 전극으로 전기 삼투 유동과 세포 분쇄 기능을 동시에 구현한 연속적인 세포 분쇄기

Abstract

We present a continuous electrical cell lysis chip, using a DC bias voltage to generate the focused high electric field for cell lysis as well as the electroosmotic flow for cell transport. The previous cell lysis chips apply an AC voltage between micro-gap electrodes for cell lysis and use pumps or valves for cell transport. The present DC chip generates high electrical field by reducing the width of the channel between a DC electrode pair, while the previous AC chips reducing the gap between an AC electrode pair. The present chip performs continuous cell pumping without using additional flow source, while the previous chips need additional pumps or valves for the discontinuous cell loading and unloading in the lysis chambers. The experimental study features an orifice whose width and length is 20 times narrower and 175 times shorter than the width and length of a microchannel. With an operational voltage of 50 V, the present chip generates high electric field strength of 1.2 kV/cm at the orifice to disrupt cells with 100% lysis rate of Red Blood Cells and low electric field strength of 60 V/cm at the microchannel to generate an electroosmotic flow of 30 μm/s ± 9 μm/s. In conclusion, the present chip is capable of continuous self-pumping cell lysis at a low voltage; thus, it is suitable for a sample pretreatment component of a micro total analysis system or lab-on-a-chip