Detection of surface antigens on living cells through incorporation of immunorecognition into the distinct positioning of cells with positive and negative dielectrophoresis

Rapid determination of surface antigens on cells is possible by immobilization of cells accumulated by positive dielectrophoresis (p-DEP) via effective surface immunoreactions and removal of unbound cells by negative DEP (n-DEP). The DEP device for cell manipulation comprises a microfluidic channel with an upper indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and a lower ITO microband array electrode (band electrode) modified with an antibody. Cells with the surface antigen introduced into the channel immediately accumulated on the surface of the band electrode during p-DEP generated by the application of ac voltage between the ITO electrode and the band electrode to immobilize by the specific antibody. The removal of accumulated cells to the gap region during n-DEP was used for rapid estimation of the residual cells with a specific surface antigen. We demonstrate here that human promyelocytic leukemia cells with the surface antigen CD33 can be captured on a band electrode modified with anti-CD33 antibody. The time required for the determination of the surface antigen using this compelled accumulation of cells by p-DEP and the separation of unbound cells by n-DEP is decreased to 60 s compared to that required by a cell binding assay using microtiter plates (30 min). Furthermore, the present method for a novel cell binding assay does not require pretreatment such as target labeling or washing of unbound cells and thereby enhancing throughput in the clinic and in cytobiology studies.