Integrated Microfluidic Handheld Cell Sorter for High-Throughput Label-Free Malignant Tumor Cell Sorting.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Resource-limited settings require accessible point-of-care diagnostic tools.
• Handheld devices for sample preparation are crucial for rapid diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, integrated microfluidic handheld sorter (μHCS).
• To enable high-throughput, label-free separation of rare cells for diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a multifunction integrated microfluidic chip.
• Incorporation of flow regulators and a spiral inertial microfluidic channel for cell separation.
• Assembly and testing of a μHCS prototype using clinical samples.

Main Results:

• The μHCS system demonstrated effective on-chip flow regulation.
• Size-based separation of malignant tumor cells from clinical pleural effusions was achieved.
• The device proved simple, inexpensive, portable, and compact.

Conclusions:

• The developed μHCS is a viable solution for rare cell separation in resource-limited areas.
• This technology supports high-throughput, label-free cell sorting for point-of-care applications.
• The μHCS offers a promising approach for improving diagnostic capabilities in underserved regions.