Design of a fluidic circuit-based microcytometer for circulating tumor cell detection and enumeration

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Portable diagnostic devices are crucial for personalized healthcare.
• Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic chips offer cost-effective point-of-care solutions.
• Microcytometry enables the analysis of biological particles in a fluidic environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a systematic theoretical and experimental study of a novel fluidic circuit-based microcytometer.
• To characterize microparticles, including Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), using the developed chip.
• To demonstrate the potential of the microcytometry chip for clinical diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling and simulation of microparticle translocation through a sensing aperture.
• Experimental validation using microparticles of varying sizes (7 μm and 16 μm).
• Detection and enumeration of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs).

Main Results:

• The microcytometer's working principle is based on analyzing bias-voltage pulses generated by microparticle blockage.
• Simulation results show a relationship between voltage pulse amplitude/bandwidth and microparticle translocation time/resistance change.
• Experimental results demonstrate the chip's ability to differentiate and count RBCs and CTCs.

Conclusions:

• The developed fluidic circuit-based microcytometer is a promising tool for point-of-care diagnostics.
• The chip effectively detects and enumerates clinically relevant cell types like RBCs and CTCs.
• This technology advances the field of portable diagnostic devices for healthcare applications.