Design of functional electrospun nanofibers for cancer cell capture applications

Electrospun nanofibers possess an extremely large surface area to volume ratio, good biocompatibility, ability to mimic native extracellular matrix, and the advantages of easy preparation and surface functionalization. These properties enable them to be used as an ideal platform for cancer cell capture applications. This review reports some recent advances in the use of nanofibers for cancer cell capture applications, in particular, preparation and surface functionalization of nanofibers with targeting molecules, static capture of cancer cells using nanofibrous substrates, dynamic capture of cancer cells and circulating tumor cells using fiber-integrated microfluidic platforms, and strategies used to release the captured cancer cells. Some of the key developments are introduced and summarized in detail; future perspectives are also briefly discussed.