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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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Simultaneous single-cell phenotype analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma CTCs using a SERS-aptamer based microfluidic
Rongke Gao1,2, Changbiao Zhan1, Chunyu Wu1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Display Technology, School of Instrument Science and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
Lab on a Chip
|August 13, 2021
Summary
This study presents a novel microfluidic chip for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. The method effectively identifies HCC cell subtypes based on surface protein expression, aiding cancer prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Oncology
Background:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) necessitates effective methods for isolating and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
- Current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies require precise characterization of CTC phenotypes at the single-cell level.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel strategy for efficient capture and in situ heterogeneous phenotype analysis of CTCs from whole blood.
- To utilize surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) fingerprint characteristics for single-cell level analysis of CTCs.
Main Methods:
- A microfluidic chip with a lantern-like bypass structure was designed for CTC capture based on cell size.
- Two types of SERS-aptamer nanotags were fabricated for spectral recognition of single CTCs via surface membrane protein expression.
- SERS measurements were performed on captured CTCs for phenotype analysis.
Main Results:
- The SERS-aptamer based microfluidic chip achieved up to 84% CTC capture efficiency with 95% purity from whole blood.
- The strategy successfully identified HCC cell subtypes using SERS measurements.
- The identified subtypes correlated with clinical surface biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- The developed SERS-aptamer microfluidic chip offers an efficient method for capturing and analyzing CTCs.
- This approach provides a powerful tool for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
- The technique enables in situ heterogeneous phenotype analysis of CTCs at the single-cell level.
