Development of a Microfluidic Device for Single Cell Specific Membrane Capacitance Quantification

The specific membrane capacitance (SMC) of biological cell membranes correlates with cells’ electrical activity and morphology, which are physiological markers for cellular phenotype and health. Conventionally, SMC measurements are conducted using electro-rotation and Patch-clamping, which entail long time training and stringent operation skills. Both techniques also suffer from limited throughput and lengthy measurement time. In this study, a microfluidic device, which enables impedance spectroscopy measurements, was developed to quantify the SMC of single biological cells. The device has a testing speed of approximately one cell per minute and is relatively easy to operate. Three-dimensional finite element simulations of the microfluidic device confirm the feasibility of this approach. SMC measurement of two AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) subtypes and two UCC (Urothelium Cell Carcinoma) subtypes were conducted. Measured SMC results were found to lie in the comparable range with previously reported publications.MAS