Affinity-based 3D-printed microfluidic chip for clinical sepsis detection with CD69, CD64, and CD25

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunology
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Sepsis is a critical, life-threatening immune response to infection, leading to organ failure.
• Current diagnostic methods like blood cultures and quick-Sequential-Organ-Failure-Assessment (qSOFA) lack sufficient accuracy and speed.
• There is a pressing need for advanced diagnostic tools to improve sepsis patient survival rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a 3D-printed microfluidic chip for rapid and accurate sepsis cell capture.
• To utilize specific cell surface antigens (CD69, CD64, CD25) as biomarkers for sepsis detection.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of the microfluidic chip against standard methods.

Main Methods:

• A 3D-printed microfluidic chip was engineered with antibodies (CD69, CD64, CD25) for cell capture.
• Clinical blood samples from septic patients (n=125) and healthy volunteers (n=10) were analyzed.
• Statistical analysis, including principal component analysis and ROC analysis, was performed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• Significant statistical differences in antigen cell counts (CD69, CD64, CD25) were observed between sepsis patients and healthy controls (p < 0.001).
• The microfluidic chip demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy with Area Under the Curve (AUC) values reaching 0.997 for a combined biomarker panel.
• The device provided results within 4 hours, substantially faster than conventional blood culture tests.

Conclusions:

• The 3D-printed microfluidic chip is a highly accurate and rapid diagnostic tool for sepsis detection.
• The chip effectively captures and quantifies sepsis-associated cell markers, outperforming current diagnostic timelines.
• This technology holds significant potential for improving clinical management and patient outcomes in sepsis cases.