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Updated: Oct 8, 2025
Clinical Microfluidic Chip Platform for the Isolation of Versatile Circulating Tumor Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
Single-Cell Digital Microfluidic Mass Spectrometry Platform for Efficient and Multiplex Genotyping of Circulating
Qingyu Ruan1, Jian Yang1, Fenxiang Zou1
1The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Abstract:
Gene mutation profiling of heterogeneous circulating tumor cells (CTCs) offers comprehensive and real-time molecular information of tumors for targeted therapy guidance, but the lack of efficient and multiplex genotyping techniques for single-CTC analysis greatly hinders its development and clinical application. This paper reports a single-CTC mass spectrometry analysis method for efficient and multiplex mutation profiling based on digital microfluidics. Digital microfluidics affords integrated single-CTC manipulation, from single-CTC isolation to high-performance whole genome amplification, via nanoliter droplet-based wettability trapping and hydrodynamic adjustment of cell distribution. Coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, multiplex mutation information of individual CTCs can be efficiently and accurately identified by the inherent mass differences of different DNA sequences. This platform achieves Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene mutation profiling of heterogeneous CTCs at the single-cell level from cancer patient samples, offering new avenues for genotype profiling of single CTCs and cancer therapy guidance.
