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Integrated Microfluidic Device for Functional Secretory Immunophenotyping of Immune Cells
Roberto Rodriguez-Moncayo1, Rocio Jimena Jimenez-Valdes1, Alan Mauricio Gonzalez-Suarez1
1Unidad Monterrey , Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional , Parque PIIT , Apodaca , Nuevo León 66628 , Mexico.
ACS Sensors
|January 14, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a microfluidic platform for automated immune cell analysis. The device measures cytokine secretion, offering potential for disease diagnosis and therapy monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Immunology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Accurate assessment of immune cell function is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring various diseases.
- Current methods for analyzing immune cell secretory function can be complex and lack high throughput.
- Integrated platforms are needed for automated, real-time evaluation of cellular immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a microfluidic platform for the automated assessment of immune cell cytokine secretion.
- To enable simultaneous analysis of multiple immune cell types and responses.
- To improve the efficiency and accuracy of functional immunophenotyping.
Main Methods:
- A microfluidic device with 32 culture chambers, each containing 492 microwells, was designed for immune cell capture.
- A fluorescence sandwich immunoassay utilizing mechanically induced trapping of molecular interactions was employed for cytokine detection.
- Epoxy-modified glass substrates and active mixing were used to enhance biosensing performance.
- Immune cells (monocytes, neutrophils) were captured, cultured, stimulated, and their cytokine secretion (IL-8, TNF-α) analyzed.
Main Results:
- The platform achieved high cell capture efficiency (∼70%) and uniformity (∼90%) for various immune cells.
- Cell viability remained high (up to 96%) for 48 hours in the culture chambers.
- Enhanced biosensing performance was observed with epoxy-modified substrates and active mixing.
- Successful functional secretory analysis of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic platform enables consistent and uniform measurement of cytokine secretion from immune cells.
- This technology holds significant potential for the diagnosis and monitoring of pathologies characterized by altered cytokine profiles.
- The platform offers a robust tool for high-throughput functional immunophenotyping.
