Principal Investigator Joel Voldman
Several projects utilize dielectrophoretic (DEP) traps to manipulate large numbers of cells on an individual basis. DEP traps use electric fields to stably hold cells in predefined fixed locations in three dimensions; they are a low-frequency analog of optical tweezers. We microfabricate our DEP-based traps here at MIT. With this technology we are creating “activate” slides where we can trap, image, and then selectively release mutant cells from a population, combining the benefits of microscopy with flow cytometry.