Single-cell impedance cytometry is an electrical analysis method, which has been used to count and discriminate cells on the basis of their dielectric properties. The method has several advantages, such as being label free and requiring minimal sample preparation. So far, however, it has been limited to measuring cell properties that are visible at low frequencies, such as size and membrane capacitance. We demonstrate a microfluidic single cell impedance cytometer capable of dielectric characterization of single cells at frequencies up to 500 MHz. This device features a more than ten-fold increased frequency range compared to other devices and enables the study of both low and high frequency dielectric properties in parallel. The increased frequency range potentially allows for characterization of subcellular features in addition to the properties that are visible at lower frequencies. The capabilities of the cytometer are demonstrated by discriminating wild-type yeast from a mutant, which differs in size and distribution of vacuoles in the intracellular fluid. This discrimination is based on the differences in dielectric properties at frequencies around 250 MHz. The results are compared to a 3D finite-element model of the microfluidic channel accommodating either a wild-type or a mutant yeast cell. The model is used to derive quantitative values to characterize the dielectric properties of the cells.

Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) as a label-free and noninvasive analysis method receives growing attention for monitoring three-dimensional tissue constructs. In this Article, we present the integration of an EIS readout function into the hanging-drop network platform, which has been designed for culturing microtissue spheroids in perfused multitissue configurations. Two pairs of microelectrodes have been implemented directly in the support of the hanging drops by using a small glass inlay inserted in the microfluidic structure. The pair of bigger electrodes is sensitive to the drop size and allows for drop size control over time. The pair of smaller electrodes is capable of monitoring, on the one hand, the size of microtissue spheroids to follow, for example, the growth of cancer microtissues, and, on the other hand, the beating of cardiac microtissues in situ. The presented results demonstrate the feasibility of an EIS readout within the framework of multifunctional hanging-drop networks.

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This paper reports on a novel impedance-based cytometer, which can detect and characterize sub-micrometer particles and cells passing through a microfluidic channel. The cytometer incorporates a resonator, which is constructed by means of a discrete inductor in series with the measurement electrodes in the microfluidic channel. The use of a resonator increases the sensitivity of the system in comparison to state-of-the-art devices. We demonstrate the functionality and sensitivity of the cytometer by discriminating E. coli and B. subtilis from beads of similar sizes by means of the resonance-enhanced phase shift of the current through the microfluidic channel. The phase shift can be correlated to size and dielectric properties of the measured objects.

Microfluidic hanging-drop networks enable culturing and analysis of 3D microtissue spheroids derived from different cell types under controlled perfusion and investigating inter-tissue communication in multi-tissue formats. In this paper we introduce a compact on-chip pumping approach for flow control in hanging-drop networks. The pump includes one pneumatic chamber located directly above one of the hanging drops and uses the surface tension at the liquid-air-interface for flow actuation. Control of the pneumatic protocol provides a wide range of unidirectional pulsatile and continuous flow profiles. With the proposed concept several independent hanging-drop networks can be operated in parallel with only one single pneumatic actuation line at high fidelity. Closed-loop medium circulation between different organ models for multi-tissue formats and multiple simultaneous assays in parallel are possible. Finally, we implemented a real-time feedback control-loop of the pump actuation based on the beating of a human iPS-derived cardiac microtissue cultured in the same system. This configuration allows for simulating physiological effects on the heart and their impact on flow circulation between the organ models on chip.