Full Beta-Dispersion Region Dielectric Spectra and Dielectric Models of Viable and Non-Viable CHO Cells

The dielectric properties of biological cells can be used to gain information on their physiology and morphology. This paper reports the first measurements of the dielectric spectra of viable and non-viable cells over the full beta-dispersion (interfacial) frequency range. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) single cell in-flow techniques were employed to quantitatively measure the Clausius-Mossotti factor spectrum of individual cells over the 300 kHz–400 MHz range, covering both the MF and UHF DEP cross-over frequencies. Experiments were performed on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, one set cultured in growth media, the other in nutrient depleted media to induce apoptotic cells. Both cell states were measured using multi-frequency DEP flow cytometry, which provides the equivalent complex dielectric permittivity of individual cells. The measured dielectric spectra facilitate determination of a cell's morphology and the dielectric properties of its intracellular compartments, and are used to develop multi-shell dielectric models of viable and non-viable cells. The developed dielectric models can aid in biosensor design, in interpretation of bulk biomedia measurements where the heterogeneity in cell population can be masked, and in relating measured dielectric responses of cells to stimuli with changes in cellular physiology.