Applied electric field analysis and numerical investigations of the continuous cell separation in a dielectrophoresis-based microfluidic channel

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is known as an attractive and frugal technique to manipulate biological particles in microfluidics. This study presents the advanced solution strategy of a DEP-based microfluidic channel for focusing and separating cancerous cells in continuous flow. Theoretical calculations were carried out to define the favorable parameters in the electric field operation of the microchip. A simulation model was also used to explore the performance of the design in the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). It revealed that the optimal conditions of the device are suitable to effectively separate CTCs from red blood cells (RBCs) within the channel structure, with a high flow rate of 1.5 μL/min, and an electric amplitude as low as 10 Vpp, at the frequency of 1 kHz. The proposed method has shown potential as a simple, easy-to-operate, and low-cost approach enable to enhance the diagnosis systems for cancer detection at early stages.