System and method for tissue construction using an electric field applicator

摘要

A method and apparatus are provided for constructing tissue from cells or other objects by application of temporally and spatially controlled electric fields. Electric field applicators expose a substrate (32) to the electric field controlled to affect the processing medium (28) to achieve a processing effect on the construction of tissue on the substrate (32). Electrical bias is selected to interact with dipole properties of the medium (28) to control the movement of suspended dielectrophoretic cells or other particles in the medium (28) or at the substrate (32). The motion of suspended particles may be affected to cause suspended particles of different properties to follow different paths in the processing medium (28), which may be used to cause the suspended particles to be sorted. The processing medium (28) and electrical bias may be selected to affect the structure, or orientation, of one or more layers on the substrate (32).

主权项

1. An electric field processing system for building a tissue from cells, comprising:
a processing chamber, the processing chamber having a first end with a substrate holder positioned therein to receive a substrate upon which the tissue is to be built; an electric field applicator disposed proximate the substrate holder and configured to apply an electric field to a substrate positioned thereon in a processing region of the processing chamber proximate thereto; a distributing bias unit configured to supply an electrical bias to the at least one electric field applicator; a fluid delivery system for delivering cells and fluids used in building the tissue; a manipulator for positioning the electric field applicator with respect to a substrate positioned on the substrate holder; at least one power supply for providing electric power to the distributing bias unit; and a control system for controlling the electric field applicator, manipulator, and the at least one power supply.