Actuated microcarrier sorting using piezoelectric element in a microfluidic channel

Abstract

Microcarriers are widely used in bioreactors to scale up cell production due to high surface area to volume ratio and their high biocompatibility. Conventional bioprocess sensors monitor cell growth based on medium properties (pH, gases, metabolites etc.) which are bulk and indirect measurements. Recently, our group has applied multi-frequency impedance cytometry to profile the biomass of single microcarriers. In this thesis, we aim to develop an impedance-based microcarrier sorting device using piezoelectric actuation. Specifically, the effects of microchannel thickness, frequency of actuation signal and size of piezoelectric elements on sorting performance were characterized. Our results showed that thinner microchannels contributed to better microcarrier sorting while a high actuation strength did not affect sorting performance. Taken together, these findings provide guidance for future development of an integrated impedance-based particle sorter which will be important for cell expansion in cell therapies and tissue engineering applications.