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Microfluidic Buffer Exchange for Interference-free Micro/Nanoparticle Cell Engineering

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Lab-on-Chip Systems for Cell Sorting: Main Features and Advantages of Inertial Focusing in Spiral Microchannels.

Isabella Petruzzellis¹, Rebeca Martínez Vázquez², Stefania Caragnano¹

¹Physics Department, Università degli Studi di Bari & Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 7016 Bari, Italy.

|September 28, 2024

Summary

This review summarizes inertial focusing Lab-on-Chip systems for cell sorting. It details spiral microchannel physics, materials, and designs for efficient, affordable particle separation.

Keywords:

Lab-on-Chip cell sorting inertial microfluidics particle manipulation

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Microfluidics
Cell Biology

Background:

Lab-on-Chip (LOC) systems utilizing inertial focusing offer a promising, ASSURED-compliant approach for cell sorting.
Spiral microchannels enable rapid, portable, and user-friendly cell separation, aligning with WHO criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a comprehensive overview of research on inertial focusing in spiral microchannels for cell sorting.
To guide future research and device selection by summarizing theoretical mechanisms, materials, and geometries.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on hydrodynamic forces and particle focusing in spiral microchannels.
Analysis of materials and prototyping techniques for spiral microfluidic devices.
Examination of inertial focusing across different microchannel cross-sections (rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, hybrid).

Main Results:

Inertial focusing in spiral microchannels is driven by hydrodynamic forces, enabling size-based particle separation.
Various materials and prototyping methods exist, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Microchannel cross-section significantly impacts inertial focusing efficiency and particle manipulation.

Conclusions:

This review consolidates current knowledge on inertial focusing for cell sorting in spiral microchannels.
It serves as a guide for selecting optimal spiral geometries and materials for high-throughput, efficient cell filtration devices.