Dielectrophoretic particle profiling system and method

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising one or more particles suspended in a fluid;
• tracking the location of the one or more particles in the chamber while applying the AC electric field;
• calculating a velocity of each of the one or more tracked particles at each electric field frequency from the locations, wherein calculating the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity based on the size of the particle;
• and
• determining a characteristic of the one or more particles from the calculated velocities.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising one or more particles suspended in a fluid;
• tracking the location of the one or more particles in the chamber while applying the AC electric field;
• calculating a velocity of each of the one or more tracked particles at each electric field frequency from the locations, wherein calculating the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity based on the electric field strength at the particle's location;
• and
• determining a characteristic of the one or more particles from the calculated velocities.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising one or more particles suspended in a fluid;
• tracking the location of the one or more particles in the chamber while applying the AC electric field;
• calculating a velocity of each of the one or more tracked particles at each electric field frequency from the locations, wherein calculating the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity based on the electric field gradient at the particle's location;
• and
• determining a characteristic of the one or more particles from the calculated velocities.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising a plurality of particles suspended in a fluid;
• measuring a velocity of each of the plurality of particles at each electric field frequency, wherein measuring the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity of the particle based on a characteristic of the particle or a characteristic of the electric field at the particle's location;
• and
• determining a dielectrophoretic cross-over frequency for the particles from the measured velocities.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising a plurality of particles suspended in a fluid;
• acquiring a series of images of the plurality of particles at each frequency;
• measuring a velocity of each of the plurality of particles at each electric field frequency, wherein measuring the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity of the particle based on a characteristic of the particle or a characteristic of the electric field at the particle's location;
• and
• measuring a size of each of the plurality of particles.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising a plurality of particles suspended in a fluid;
• electronically acquiring a series of images of the plurality of particles at each frequency;
• and
• determining a cross-over frequency for the particles from the images, wherein the cross-over frequency is determined based on normalized velocities calculated for each of the plurality of particles.

A method, comprising:

• sequentially applying an AC electric field at a plurality of frequencies to a medium in a chamber, the medium comprising a plurality of particles suspended in a fluid;
• acquiring a series of images of the plurality of particles at each frequency;
• and
• determining a velocity for each particle from each series of images, wherein determining the velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity of the particle based on a characteristic of the particle or a characteristic of the electric field at the particle's location.

A system for performing dielectrophoretic analysis on a population of particles, the system comprising:

• a chamber having a wall;
• a plurality of electrodes disposed on the wall of the chamber;
• a function generator configured to supply an AC voltage to the plurality of electrodes;
• a detector configured to acquire images of a sample disposed in the chamber;
• and
• an electronic controller in electrical communication with the detector,
• wherein during operation of the system the function generator sequentially supplies an AC voltage to the plurality of electrodes at a plurality of frequencies while the detector acquires a series of images of a sample in the chamber, the sample comprising one or more particles suspended in a fluid, and the electronic controller tracks the location of the one or more particles in the chamber, calculates a velocity of each of the one or more particles at each electric field frequency from the tracked locations, and determines a first characteristic of the one or more particles from the calculated velocities,
• and wherein calculating a velocity of a particle comprises normalizing the velocity of the particle based on a second characteristic of the particle or a characteristic of the electric field at the particle's location.