Transport, localization and separation of caenorhabditis elegans using electrotaxis for movement based behavioral assays in drug discovery

Electric field-induced locomotion and transport of worms Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in a microfluidic device (electrotaxis) is demonstrated in this paper. Direct (DC) and alternating (AC) electric fields inside a microchannel were used to stimulate worms locomotion towards the negative pole and to halt their locomotion while localizing them at desired locations in the channel respectively. This technique promises to facilitate the study of movement-related disorders (e.g., Parkinson's Disease) and to perform drug discovery assays on a chip. We also demonstrate an application of our system in separating worms based on their age and size from a mixed culture.