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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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The integrated on-chip isolation and detection of circulating tumour cells
Sophia M Abusamra1, Robert Barber2, Mohamed Sharafeldin3
1Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford Oxford OX3 9DU UK.
Sensors & Diagnostics
|April 22, 2024
Summary
Detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is crucial for cancer prognosis. This review highlights integrated microfluidic methods that combine CTC isolation and detection in a single step, improving efficiency and reducing cell loss.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from primary tumors and indicate metastatic potential and poor prognosis.
- Accurate CTC detection and enumeration are vital for guiding cancer treatment and monitoring disease status.
- Current methods often separate CTC isolation and detection, leading to loss of these rare cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in integrated, single-step microfluidic devices for CTC isolation and detection.
- To highlight methods that reduce CTC loss and increase throughput.
- To focus on on-chip CTC analysis with minimal operator intervention.
Main Methods:
- Review of microfluidic technologies integrating CTC isolation and detection.
- Focus on immune-affinity capture coupled with optical, physical, or electrochemical detection methods.
- Analysis of single-step configurations to minimize CTC loss and operator dependency.
Main Results:
- Integrated microfluidic approaches offer reduced CTC loss compared to multi-step methods.
- Single-step devices enhance throughput and enable on-chip CTC analysis.
- Combined immune-affinity capture and various detection modalities show promise for CTC quantification.
Conclusions:
- Integrated microfluidic systems represent a significant advancement in CTC isolation and detection.
- These methods address challenges like cell heterogeneity and low abundance, improving clinical utility.
- Further development in single-step microfluidic devices is crucial for effective cancer management.
