A Microfluidic-Based Sensing Platform for Rapid Quality Control on Target Cells from Bioreactors

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Medical Devices
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Immunotherapy, utilizing Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) and T Cell Receptors (TCRs), is a promising cancer treatment.
• Current immunotherapy requires manual, labor-intensive, and error-prone quality control of engineered cells.
• Automated solutions are needed to improve the efficiency and scalability of cell therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and characterize a Lab-On-a-Chip (LoC) system for automated cell detection and quality control.
• To develop a cost-effective, reliable, and miniaturized device to support immunotherapy.
• To integrate cell detection as a building block for future LoC systems in immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

• A Lab-On-a-Chip (LoC) device featuring an integrated capacitive sensor managed by a microcontroller was developed.
• The system detects cells by measuring charge variations without requiring an external AC source.
• Characterization involved using a gold nanoparticle-labeled cell line, tested in both drop and microfluidic channel formats.

Main Results:

• The LoC system demonstrated good sensitivity, detecting as few as approximately 120 cells.
• The device utilizes standardized components for potential mass manufacturing and is suitable for bioreactor integration.
• Experiments showed reliable cell detection in both microfluidic and non-microfluidic setups.

Conclusions:

• The developed LoC system provides a simple, low-cost, and reliable solution for automated cell detection.
• This technology has the potential to replace manual procedures, increasing throughput and affordability in immunotherapy.
• The LoC device's applicability extends beyond immunotherapy to various cell detection contexts.