Microfluidic sampling system for tissue analytics

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Accurate tissue analysis is crucial for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Current methods for tissue biopsy analysis can be invasive and time-consuming.
• There is a need for advanced sampling systems for precise tissue analytics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a microfluidics-based sampling system for efficient tissue analytics.
• To demonstrate the system's capability in extracting lipid samples from real tissue biopsies.
• To assess the potential of the system for characterizing cancerous tissues.

Main Methods:

• Development of a microfluidic chip with a sample reservoir and pumping membranes.
• Integration of a disposable silicon-based multiport microneedle.
• Utilized an automated robotic system for precise needle positioning and sampling.
• Extraction of lipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphoethanolamine) using methyl tert-butyl ether.
• Detection of extracted lipids via mass spectrometry.

Main Results:

• Successfully extracted lipid samples from real breast cancer tissue.
• Detected indicative cancer biomarkers (phosphatidylcholine, phosphoethanolamine) from the tissue surface.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of the microfluidic sampling system for tissue analytics.
• Validated the use of an automated robotic system for controlled tissue sampling.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidics sampling system is effective for lipid extraction from tissue biopsies.
• This technology enables the detection of cancer biomarkers directly from tissue surfaces.
• The system holds potential for improved characterization of preoperative biopsies and surgical tumor tissues.