Effective Boundary Correction for Deterministic Lateral Displacement Microchannels to Improve Cell Separation: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cell Separation Technology

Background:

• Microfluidic devices are crucial for particle and cell separation.
• Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) offers size-based cell sorting.
• Channel boundary effects negatively impact separation efficiency in microfluidic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a microfluidic device for efficient cell separation.
• To investigate the impact of enhanced channel boundary structures on separation performance.
• To improve the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and red blood cells (RBCs).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microfluidic device utilizing deterministic lateral displacement (DLD).
• Implementation of a novel boundary correction (BC) technique to optimize channel walls.
• Quantitative analysis of cell separation efficiency using microscopic imaging and flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• The DLD device with boundary correction achieved high separation efficiencies.
• Circulating tumor cell (CTC) throughput exceeded 93%, and CTC isolation efficiency was over 89%.
• Red blood cell (RBC) isolation efficiency surpassed 77%, while BC reduced separation efficiency by approximately 5%.

Conclusions:

• The novel boundary correction technique significantly enhances microfluidic device performance.
• This approach offers a promising solution for accurate and efficient cell separation in microchannels.
• The developed device demonstrates high potential for clinical applications, particularly in cancer diagnostics.