Clog-free high-throughput microfluidic cell isolation with multifunctional microposts

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cancer Cell Separation

Background:

• Microfluidic devices are used for rare tumor cell isolation from blood for liquid biopsies.
• Current methods face limitations due to low flow rates and device clogging from single-function fluidic paths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic device with multifunctional hybrid functional microposts for efficient rare cell separation.
• To overcome clogging issues in microfluidic filtration systems for liquid biopsies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a microfluidic device featuring multifunctional hybrid functional microposts.
• Integration of a by-passing route for non-tumor cells to prevent clogging.
• Performance characterization using microbeads and human cancer cells spiked in human blood at a flow rate of 1 ml/min.

Main Results:

• Design-I achieved 96% capture efficiency for microbeads and 87% for cancer cells.
• An improved Design-II demonstrated 100% capture efficiency for microbeads and 96% for cancer cells.
• The multifunctional design successfully guaranteed highly efficient separation of rare cells.

Conclusions:

• The novel microfluidic approach with multifunctional microposts effectively addresses clogging issues.
• This method enables highly efficient separation of rare cells from biological fluids, enhancing liquid biopsy applications.
• The integrated separation, bypass, and capture functions improve microfluidic processing for rare cell analysis.