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Clinical Microfluidic Chip Platform for the Isolation of Versatile Circulating Tumor Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
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Highly efficient and selective isolation of rare tumor cells using a microfluidic chip with wavy-herringbone
Shunqiang Wang1, Antony Thomas2, Elaine Lee3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA. yal310@lehigh.edu.
The Analyst
|February 25, 2016
Summary
A novel wavy-herringbone microfluidic chip efficiently isolates rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood. This technology enhances cancer diagnosis by improving CTC capture purity and viability compared to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microfluidics
- Cancer Diagnostics
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are vital biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and personalized treatment.
- Efficient isolation of CTCs from blood is challenging due to their rarity and the need to exclude white blood cells (WBCs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic chip for highly efficient and selective isolation of CTCs.
- To improve CTC capture purity and viability compared to existing technologies.
Main Methods:
- A wavy-herringbone (HB) microfluidic chip coated with anti-EpCAM antibodies was designed.
- The chip was tested using whole blood samples spiked with tumor cells.
- Performance was compared against a traditional grooved-HB chip.
Main Results:
- The wavy-HB chip achieved high CTC capture efficiency (up to 85.0%) and purity (up to 39.4%).
- Smooth wavy microstructures reduced non-specific WBC trapping compared to grooved-HB structures.
- Wavy-HB chip demonstrated significantly higher captured cell viability (up to 11% increase).
Conclusions:
- The wavy-HB microfluidic chip offers superior performance for CTC isolation.
- This platform shows promise for advancing CTC capture and cancer diagnosis.
