Engineering Devices for Cellular Manipulation

Engineering Devices for Cellular Manipulation
Professor Aaron T. Ohta, University of Hawaii

Many aspects of biology can benefit from technologies created by engineers. At the intersection of these disciplines, many exciting opportunities exist to find new methods of treating diseases, make health care cheaper and more effective, and advance our basic understanding of what is going on in our bodies. I will talk about several devices that can be used to manipulate mammalian cells, with the end goal of providing biologists with new tools and capabilities. These include: • Semiconductor devices that enable the trapping, transportation, and sorting of cells
using light patterns
• “Smart” versions of the traditional cell culture dish that will help to purify cells and further research in cellular therapeutics
• Microscale droplets that can be used as miniature chemical reactors for drug screening and other applications
• Methods to encapsulate cells, which can then function as implantable drug factories for treating diabetes, cancer, and other conditions