System Modularity Chip for Analysis of Rare Targets (SMART-Chip): Liquid Biopsy Samples

Area of Science:

• Biomarker discovery and analysis
• Minimally invasive diagnostics
• Microfluidic systems for rare target isolation

Background:

• Liquid biopsies offer a minimally invasive approach for disease management.
• Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are key biomarkers in liquid biopsies.
• Current CTC isolation methods often require manual handling, limiting clinical translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fully automated system for circulating tumor cell (CTC) processing.
• To address limitations of manual sample handling in liquid biopsies.
• To enable efficient and accurate CTC analysis for clinical implementation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a System Modularity Chip for Analysis of Rare Targets (SMART-Chip).
• Integration of three modules for CTC affinity selection, photorelease, counting, viability determination, and immunophenotyping.
• Utilized microreplication with thermoplastics for cost-effective chip production.

Main Results:

• The SMART-Chip fully automates CTC processing from peripheral blood.
• Achieved high purity isolation of EpCAM-expressing CTCs (0-3 white blood cells/mL).
• Completed CTC assay in <4 hours, compared to >8 hours for manual processing.

Conclusions:

• The SMART-Chip offers a robust, automated solution for CTC analysis in liquid biopsies.
• This technology facilitates clinical implementation of CTC assays, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
• Demonstrated utility in processing samples from colorectal cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients.