T. Henighan

Manipulation of Magnetically Labeled and Unlabeled Cells with Mobile Magnetic Traps

A platform of discrete microscopic magnetic elements patterned on a surface offers dynamic control over the motion of fluid-borne cells by reprogramming the magnetization within the magnetic bits. T-lymphocyte cells tethered to magnetic microspheres and untethered leukemia cells are remotely manipulated and guided along desired trajectories on a silicon surface by directed forces with average speeds up to 20 microm/s. In addition to navigating cells, the microspheres can be operated from a distance to push biological and inert entities and act as local probes in fluidic environments.

Patterned magnetic traps for magnetophoretic assembly and actuation of microrotor pumps

We demonstrate a microscopic magnetic rotor pump for fluidic channels whose components are assembled in situ and powered by weak external magnetic fields (<150 Oe). A platform of patterned Permalloy microdisks and microcavities provided for the transport, trapping, and rotation of the superparamagnetic spherical microrotors. Parallel actuation of several rotors without direct physical link to external energy sources, tunable rotation speeds, and reversible drive torques offers significant advantages over macroscopic techniques to control flow within microfluidic devices. The effectiveness of trapping and transporting magnetic nanoparticles by the disks illustrate scalability to smaller, submicrometer sized devices.