A flow-through microfluidic system for the detection of circulating melanoma cells

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Nanomaterials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Early detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is crucial for cancer prognosis and treatment.
• Current methods for CTC detection face challenges in sensitivity and specificity.
• Development of sensitive and rapid detection platforms is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a polyaniline nanofiber (PANI)-modified screen-printed electrode (SPE) integrated into a microfluidic device.
• To develop an electrochemical immunosensor for the sensitive detection of melanoma circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
• To evaluate the sensor's performance in detecting melanoma cells using the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) biomarker.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PANI-modified SPE within a PDMS microfluidic channel.
• Functionalization of the PANI/SPE with anti-MC1R antibodies for specific binding.
• Electrochemical detection of melanoma cells using ferri/ferrocyanide redox probe.
• Continuous flow-through measurements at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min.

Main Results:

• The PANI/SPE immunosensor demonstrated exceptional performance for melanoma cell detection.
• Achieved an ultra-low limit of quantification of 1 melanoma cell/mL.
• Exhibited a log-linear response over a wide range (10-9000 cells/10 mL) in buffer and blood samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic electrochemical immunosensor offers a highly sensitive and specific platform for CTC detection.
• This technology holds promise for non-invasive melanoma diagnosis and monitoring.
• The PANI/SPE offers a cost-effective and efficient solution for point-of-care diagnostics.