The University of Manitoba

Purpose

Dielectric properties of cells play an important role during growth conditions in batch culture. Studies have demonstrated that the dielectric properties of cells can be used as an indicator of the state of cells in culture. Therefore, monitoring dielectric properties of cells such as intracellular conductivity during batch and fed-batch culture is being investigated as a tool for optimizing the productivity and quality of bioprocesses. Dielectric spectroscopy, known as capacitance measurement, is the key technique for monitoring the dielectric properties of the bulk cell culture. However, the bulk capacitance of a cell culture does not reveal information about the subpopulation of cells in the medium. The use of Dielectrophoresis (DEP) cytometer, which is a label-free, non-invasive and has the ability to be implemented as an online tool, for monitoring the dielectric properties of single-cells in batch and fed-batch culture identifies subpopulations. In this project, the DEP cytometer will be used to perform single-cell dielectric measurements under controlled conditions such as nutrient deprivation and timed feed addition scenarios to enhance the productivity and quality of bioprocesses.