TANMS4-CellSorting_Fig1.jpg

Figure 1: (a): Schematic of a microfluidic single cell capture and release platform with components labeled. (b): Schematic of the copper wire network used to magnetize and demagnetize single capture sites. Five bottom electrodes and five top electrodes can be used to magnetize or demagnetize any one of the 25 capture sites in the prototype array. The dimensions of the wire and the capture site are shown in the inset on the right. (c) 4 Step process to capture and release magnetically labelled cells. (i) Magnetization for capture site using a 2-amp electric current to magnetize capture site. (ii) Magnetized capture site will exert an attractive force on the superparamagnetic beads labelling the cells and immobilize the cell. (iii) Demagnetizing the capture site using a 1-amp current in the opposite direction to the original magnetizing current. (iv) A demagnetized capture site will exert minimal force on the SPM beads thereby allowing the drag force from the fluid to release the cells and be collected.