Three-dimensional, sharp-tipped electrodes concentrate applied fields to enable direct electrical release of intact biomarkers from cells

Abstract

Biomarkers such as proteins and nucleic acids released from human cells, bacteria, and viruses offer a wealth of information pertinent to diagnosis and treatment ranging from cancer to infectious disease. The release of these molecules from within cells is a crucial step in biomarker analysis. Here we show that purely electric-field-driven lysis can be achieved, inline, within a microfluidic channel; that it can produce highly efficient lysis and biomarker release; and, further, that it can do so with minimal degradation of the released biomarkers. Central to this new technology is the use of three-dimensional sharp-tipped electrodes (3DSTEs) in lysis, which we prove using experiment and finite-element modeling produce the electric field concentration necessary for efficient cell wall rupture.