Integrated Optically Induced Dielectrophoresis and Light Addressable Potentiometric Sensor Platform for High Throughput Biomedical Sensing and Chemical Images Construction

The goal of this proposal is to integrate optically induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) platform and light addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) for high throughput and multiple site ionic concentration detection. Furthermore, the integrated platform can be used to study fundamental cell biology such as metabolism of cells. By using this platform, cells can be arranged and fixed to a specific pattern through ODEP platform and then stimulated by chemical reagent or drug to release certain ion such as hydrogen, sodium, and potassium ion. After that, the distribution of ion concentration outside the cells can be measured by LAPS in real time. Moreover, a corresponding chemical image can also be mapped. It is believed that ionic concentration is strongly related to cells metabolism. The proposed integrated platform could be a powerful tool for cell biology investigation, which has never been proposed in any other research group. However, some issues in present set-up are needed to be modified for integrating two platforms to a brand new one. In first year, we are going to substitute a commercial available projector with an objective lens for traditional LAPS light source. Conventionally, a mechanical X-Y stage with focused laser beam or multi LED are used as scanning light source. However, both of them have several disadvantages such as more expensive, bulky, slow measurement speed, poor resolution, and limited to number of light sources. By using projector as a programmable light source, it not only can improve the resolution of multiple site detection but also can address the position of light spot without moving the light source. This can deliver an easy, flexible, and friendly light source that can address a large number of programmable measurement spots on LAPS structure and increase the speed of the measurement. It can be a very promising technique for LAPS base chemical image sensor. In second year, we are going to replace traditional single crystal silicon wafer-based LAPS chip by thin film amorphous silicon. Thanks to the low mobility, short diffusion length, and thin deposited thickness of amorphous silicon, using it as material of chip has several advantages, which can not only promote the spatial resolution when conducting multiple points detection but pave a way for integrating with ODEP platform as well. At the same time, microfludics will be used to facilitate multiple points and multiple samples detection, concurrently. In third year, we are going to integrate ODEP platform and LAPS to a novel tool for cell biology study. With the same light source, projector, and the same material of chip, amorphous silicon, it is easier to integrate two platforms together. The function of ODEP can be used to manipulate and arrange cells to a specific pattern and the LAPS can be used to detect the ionic concentration which comes out from cell metabolism. Besides, it can also be used to map a corresponding chemical image with distribution of ionic concentration. We believe that the proposed integrated platform can be a promising tool for cell biology investigation.

Project ID:PB10101-3620
External Project ID:NSC100-2221-E182-021-MY3