Patent ID: 7988841

Claim:
A method for the treatment of biological samples in a device including a body having a channel delimited by a first and a second wall facing each other and at least one first electrode formed on the second wall, the method comprising the steps of: a) introducing a liquid into said channel, said liquid including first and second particles having different dielectrophoretic (DEP) behavior under the same conditions; b) generating an AC field within said body by biasing the first electrode; c) separating said first particles from said second particles at said first electrode based on said different DEP behaviour of the first and the second particles in said AC field; d) trapping said first particles at said first electrode; e) lysing said trapped first particles at said first electrode to release information carriers contained in said first particles; and f) amplifying said information carriers, wherein said separating, trapping, and lysing each occur at the same group of electrodes.