MEMS Device for Osteoblast Cell Stimulation

---A fixed microelectrode device for cell stimulation has been designed and fabricated using microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The dielectrophoretic forces obtained from fixed electrode structures producing non-uniform electric fields were then used for manipulating and positioning obsteoblast cells. Our experiments show that the osteoblasts experience positive dielectrophoresis (p-DEP) when suspended in isoosmotic culture medium and exposed to AC fields at 5 MHz. Negative delectrophoresis (N-DEP) is obtained at 0.1 MHz. Osteoblast lysis also occurs in AC fields at 0.1 MHz using high voltage. The viability of osteoblasts under dielectrophoresis has been investigated. The DEP values are nearly three times higher than the control values which indicates that dielectrophoresis may increase osteoblast viability.