Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
05:58
Clinical Microfluidic Chip Platform for the Isolation of Versatile Circulating Tumor Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
1.3K
Designer tetrahedral DNA framework-based microfluidic technology for multivalent capture and release of circulating
Chenguang Wang1,2,3,4, Yi Xu3, Shuainan Li3,4
1State Key Laboratory of Functional Material for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China.
Materials Today. Bio
|July 14, 2022
Summary
This study presents a new microfluidic system for capturing and releasing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with high efficiency and viability. The developed technology offers a promising tool for cancer diagnostics and therapy monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Biology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial biomarkers for cancer management.
- Challenges exist in efficiently isolating rare CTCs from blood samples while maintaining their viability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient microfluidic system for the capture and release of simulated CTCs.
- To evaluate the performance of the system in terms of capture efficiency, purity, and cell viability.
Main Methods:
- Integration of tetrahedral DNA framework (TDFs), herringbone channel (HB) chip, and aptamer-triggered hybridization chain reaction (apt-HCR).
- Development of a microfluidic system (T-μFS) for multivalent capture and release of CTCs.
Main Results:
- Achieved high capture efficiency (83.3%–94.2%) for simulated CTCs in whole blood.
- Demonstrated high release efficiency (96.2%) and cell viability (94.6%) after isolation.
- Confirmatory studies showed minimal impact on cell viability post-capture and release.
Conclusions:
- The developed T-μFS is an effective integrated platform for CTC capture and release.
- This technology shows significant potential for applications in tumor liquid biopsy and cancer monitoring.
Keywords:
AptamerCirculating tumor cellHybridization chain reactionMicrofluidic chipTetrahedral DNA framework
