Dielectrophoretic sorting of lipid-containing microorganisms using high frequency electric fields produced by conducting post arrays

Abstract

This paper describes a dielectrophoretic cell sorter containing arrays of conducting microposts. This sorter will be used to identify high-lipid-content organisms, which have commercial value for oil production and other applications. Cell sorting based on dielectrophoresis (DEP) typically utilizes planar electrodes, limiting throughput. Here, we present a rapid electroplating method that can produce an array of 15 μm tall posts in roughly ten minutes. Using this device, we were able to distinguish between two phenotypes of Yarrowia lipolytica, a lipid-containing yeast. In future work, we will use flow cytometry to confirm the lipid content of the sorted cell populations.