Title:  High Throughput Electronic Cell Mechanotyping via Multiplexed Impedance Sensors

Committee: 

Dr. Sarioglu, Advisor

Dr. , Co-Advisor  

Dr. Bhatti, Chair

Dr. Frazier

Abstract: The objective of the proposed research is to develop and characterize a portable microfluidic device that uses an array of microconstrictive channels to determine the mechanical properties of a sample population. The parallelized channel design and dual electrical outputs makes this approach suitable for high-throughput sample characterization on a low-cost, disposable chip. Since physiological and pathological events change the mechanical properties of cells, tools that rapidly capture and quantify such changes at the single-cell level can provide key insights into the utility of cell mechanics as a label-free biomarker. In this thesis, we present a high-throughput cell mechanotyping assay that electrically measures cell viscoelastic properties (elastic modulus and fluidity) on a disposable microchip. Our approach combines an array of microconstrictions with a multiplexed network of barcoded electrical sensors that time cells’ transit through those microconstrictions in parallel. By logging cells exclusively outside the slowing microconstrictions, our technique mitigates the reduction in measurement throughput caused by the time a cell spends within a microconstriction. By increasing access to currently underutilized mechanical biomarkers, this technique has significant potential to open new avenues of study and facilitate various applications within biomedicine.