High-throughput cell separation in physiologically-relevant media using remote, surface-acoustic-wave-induced dielectrophoresis for autologous cell therapies' (360G-Wellcome-201058_Z_16_Z)

The separation of specific cell types from mixed populations is fundamental to a growing number of emerging medical procedures, including autologous cell therapies. The increasing importance of such therapies is overshadowed by technological shortfalls in the efficient, minimally manipulative enrichment of specific, viable cell populations within intra-operative timescales. Current separation techniques (e.g. adherence, density or antibody-binding) cannot satisfy these criteria, hence a growing urgency exists to discover technological solutions to these challenges. Here, we use shear-horizontal surface acoustic waves (SH-SAWs) to induce dielectrophoretic (DEP)-based enrichment of viable, human mesenchymal stromal cells from bone marrow aspirate, with which we will demonstrate enhanced wound repair in critical calvarial defects. SAWs propagate at the surface of piezoelectric materials, away from electrodes positioned externally to a cell-containing fluidic channel. SH-SAWs do not induce density-based cell separation through generation of fluidic pressure-waves, but instead, non-uniform electric fields coupled to the SAW form virtual electrodes within the fluid. These induce highly-specific DEP-based cell separation – critically, without inducing electrochemical reactions that would affect cell viability or phenotype, thereby allowing operation in physiologically-relevant medium. SAW-DEP therefore differs from all previous SAW- or DEP-based separation, overcoming the limitations of either technology in isolation, and satisfying the required clinical criteria.